We are going to calculate how much the average consumption of olive oil in Spain per person per year amounts to and compare it with different countries in the world such as Greece, Italy, Portugal, the United States, Argentina, China, Brazil, Japan, Colombia…
For this we will use the olive oil consumption by countrydata published by the International Olive Council.
How much olive oil is consumed in Spain?
In recent years Spain has been the largest consumer of olive oil worldwide with a consumption of more than 500,000 tons per year, representing around 17- 1% of world production. This means that each Spaniard consumes approximately 11 liters of olive oil per capita per year. This quantity includes the different types of olive oil present on the market (Extra Virgin, Virgin and Olive). Currently, consumers in Spain are committed to quality, which is why the consumption of Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) does not It stops growing and currently represents about 40-5% of the total consumed.
| Olive Oil Consumption Spain | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita consumption (litres) | 11,61 | 10,41 | 11,22 | 12.05 | 12.79 | 11,62 |
| Total (t) | 494,000 | 443,000 | 478,000 | 515,000 | 550,000 | 496,000 |
The price slightly influences the consumption of olive oil, therefore, after the 1% drop in consumption that occurred in 2016/17, the internal consumption of olive oil in Spain has been increasing progressively with the drop in prices. The solidity of olive oil consumption means that significant price increases or decreases are necessary to adjust demand to production levels.
Consumption of olive oil in Italy
The amount of olive oil consumed in Italy is very similar to that of Spain, although its per capita consumption is much lower.
In terms of quality, the consumption of Extra virgin olive oil in Italy exceeds that of Spain. The Italians are a market that values quality very highly and are willing to pay a high price for their olive oil production.
| Italy Olive Oil Consumption | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita consumption (litres) | 10.74 | 7.90 | 10.45 | 7,20 | 9.04 | 9.08 |
| Total (t) | 598,000 | 439,000 | 580,000 | 399,000 | 500,000 | 504,000 |
Consumption of olive oil in Greece
Olive oil consumption in Greece is important, being the highest in Europe in terms of per capita consumption.
| Consumption of Olive Oil Greece | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita consumption (litres) | 14.07 | 10,63 | 13,18 | 12.50 | 12,73 | 12,67 |
| Total (t) | 140,000 | 105,000 | 130,000 | 123,000 | 125,000 | 125,000 |
Consumption of olive oil in other European countries
France, Portugal, Germany and the United Kingdom are other European countries with significant consumption of olive oil.
Olive oil consumption in France has remained without significant variations in recent years.
| Olive Oil Consumption France | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita consumption (litres) | 1.70 | 1.64 | 1.53 | 1.61 | 1.51 | 1.60 |
| Total (t) | 113,000 | 109,000 | 102,000 | 108,000 | 101,000 | 107,000 |
The consumption of olive oil in Portugal is remarkable in terms of per capita consumption.
| Olive Oil Consumption Portugal | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita consumption (litres) | 6.75 | 6.77 | 7,27 | 5.93 | 7.78 | 6.88 |
| Total (t) | 70,000 | 70,000 | 75,000 | 61,000 | 80,000 | 71,000 |
In the United Kingdom certain malicious campaigns have helped to reduce the consumption of olive oil slightly during the last campaigns.
| Consumption of Olive Oil in the United Kingdom | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita consumption (litres) | 1.00 | 1.07 | 0.96 | 0.94 | 0.86 | 0.97 |
| Total (t) | 65,000 | 70,000 | 63,000 | 62,000 | 57,000 | 64,000 |
In Germany, the consumption of olive oil is highly oriented to the Gourmet sector.
| Consumption of Olive Oil in Germany | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita consumption (litres) | 0.78 | 0.74 | 0.74 | 0.65 | 0.60 | 0.70 |
| Total (t) | 63,000 | 61,000 | 61,000 | 54,000 | 50,000 | 58,000 |
World consumption of olive oil
World consumption of olive oil is around 3,000,000 tons per year, outside of Europe, the United States is the world’s largest consumer.
Other major consumers of olive oil globally are Brazil, Canada, Japan, China, Australia, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, and Syria.
Consumption of olive oil in the United States
Olive oil consumption in the United States has grown in recent years despite certain political obstacles, showing great potential due to its solidity and strength.
| Consumption of Olive Oil in the United States | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita consumption (litres) | 1.00 | 0.97 | 0.97 | 1.01 | 1.01 | 0.99 |
| Total (t) | 321,000 | 315,000 | 315,000 | 331,000 | 330,000 | 322,000 |
Consumption of olive oil in Brazil
Olive oil consumption in Brazil has grown steadily and progressively in recent years, being one of the most interesting markets for the growth of olive oil consumption. The potential shown by this large market of more than 200 million inhabitants is very interesting as consumption has practically doubled in just 5 years.
| Consumption of Olive Oil in Brazil | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita consumption (litres) | 0.24 | 0.29 | 0.37 | 0.41 | 0.43 | 0.35 |
| Total (t) | 50,000 | 60,000 | 76,000 | 86,000 | 90,000 | 72,000 |
Olive oil consumption in Australia
Olive oil consumption in Australia has grown steadily over the last 5 years. No doubt local olive plantations have helped spark Australian consumer interest in olive oil.
| Olive Oil Consumption in Australia | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita consumption (litres) | 0.18 | 0.19 | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.19 |
| Total (t) | 42,000 | 45,000 | 48,000 | 50,000 | 51,000 | 46,000 |
Olive oil consumption in China
Olive oil consumption in China, although interesting in terms of total quantity and growing consumption trend, is still very low in terms of per capita consumption. The growing interest in producing olive oil locally may end up helping potential consumption and opening up the market in China. Due to all this and its huge population, China has the potential to become one of the largest consumers of liquid gold in the future.
| Consumption of Olive Oil in China | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita consumption (litres) | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.03 |
| Total (t) | 39,000 | 44,000 | 44,000 | 52,000 | 52,000 | 45,000 |
Consumption of olive oil in Japan
Japan is one of the countries in which the inhabitants take the most care of their health and also have a high purchasing power. Both concepts help the consumption of extra virgin olive oil have significant growth potential.
| Olive Oil Consumption in Japan | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita consumption (litres) | 0.42 | 0.43 | 0.44 | 0.55 | 0.59 | 0.49 |
| Total (t) | 54,000 | 54,000 | 56,000 | 69,000 | 75,000 | 62,000 |
Consumption of olive oil in South America
The consumption of olive oil in Argentina (15,000 t), Chile (14,000 t), Peru (13,000 t), Colombia (5,000 t) is still unremarkable.
Since per capita consumption in these countries moves between 0.3 and 0.8 liters per year, there is significant growth potential.
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Warning
We have translated the information on our website from Spanish to English. Please note that some words may have had their meaning altered during translation.