16 Jul 2023 Whose biggest in chocolate?
World Chocolate Day, celebrated on July 7 every year, pays homage to one of the world’s most beloved treats: chocolate. Some interesting charts from Statista show the world’s largest exporters and importers of chocolate, while the second features those countries with the largest appetite for it.
Native to Central and South America, chocolate and cocoa have a long history, with the Aztecs and Mayans among the most well-known indigenous populations to have cultivated cocoa.
According to the World Cocoa Foundation, researchers have found evidence of cocoa-based food dating back several thousand years, and it has since become an inseparable part of our culture.
Chocolate is not only a delicious treat but also a prime example of globalization. While countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Ecuador, Cameroon and Indonesia are among the world’s largest producers of cocoa beans, the beans are then shipped around the world to Europe, where most of the world’s largest chocolate producers are located.
The cocoa beans are then processed, ie roasted and ground, before the resulting cocoa butter is used in chocolate manufacturing.
According to UN Comtrade data, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands were the world’s leading exporters of chocolate and other cocoa-based food preparations last year, exporting 1,009, 594 and 482-million kilograms, respectively.
In terms of export value, Germany was also far ahead of the rest, with total chocolate exports worth $5.6-billion in 2022, ahead of Belgium and Italy with exports worth $2.8-billion and $2.4-billion, respectively.
The world’s leading importers of finished chocolate products were the US, France and Germany last year. The US imported 746 million kilograms worth $3.8-billion in 2022, with Canada, Mexico, Belgium and Germany as the largest source countries.
Everybody loves chocolate, right?
Well, not everybody, at least not to the same degree. According to Statista Market Insights, there’s a huge gulf in chocolate consumption around the world. While the cocoa-based treat is very popular in large parts of Europe and in the US, many people in Asia prefer other sugary snacks to satisfy their sweet tooth.
When it comes to the league of chocoholics, Switzerland is out in front with annual per capita consumption amounting to an impressive 11.8 kilograms in 2022. The country is well known for its excellent chocolate industry with Toblerone and Lindt among the most recognisable brands.
Neighbouring Germany is also high up on the list with 5.8 kilograms per capita, while Americans are estimated to eat 9 kilograms of chocolate per year on average.
At the other end of the scale, India and China have considerably lower per-capita consumption at 1.0 and 0.2 kilograms, respectively.
Source: Statista.com