The total milk consumption (as fluid milk and processed products) per person varies widely from highs in Europe and North America to lows in Asia. However, as the various regions of the world become more integrated through travel and migration, these trends are changing, a factor which needs to be considered by product developers and marketers of milk and milk products in various countries of the world.
Even within regions such as Europe, the custom of milk consumption has varied greatly. Consider for example the high consumption of fluid milk in countries like Finland, Norway and Sweden compared to France and Italy where cheeses have tended to dominate milk consumption. When you also consider the climates of these regions, it would appear that the culture of producing more stable products (cheese) in hotter climates as a means of preservation is evident. Table 1 illustrates milk per capita consumption information from various countries of the world. Table 2 shows the quantity of raw milk produced around the world.
Table 1. Per Capita Consumption of Milk and Milk Products in Various Countries, 2006 data.
Country |
Liquid Milk Drinks (Litres) |
Cheeses (kg) |
Butter (kg) |
| Finland | 183.9 |
19.1 |
5.3 |
| Sweden | 145.5 |
18.5 |
1.0 |
| Ireland | 129.8 |
10.5 |
2.9 |
| Netherlands | 122.9 |
20.4 |
3.3 |
| Norway | 116.7 |
16.0 |
4.3 |
| Spain (2005) | 119.1 |
9.6 |
1.0 |
| Switzerland | 112.5 |
22.2 |
5.6 |
| United Kingdom (2005) | 111.2 |
12.2 |
3.7 |
| Australia (2005) | 106.3 |
11.7 |
3.7 |
| Canada (2005) | 94.7 |
12.2 |
3.3 |
| European Union (25 countries) | 92.6 |
18.4 |
4.2 |
| Germany | 92.3 |
22.4 |
6.4 |
| France | 92.2 |
23.9 |
7.3 |
| New Zealand (2005) | 90.0 |
7.1 |
6.3 |
| United States | 83.9 |
16.0 |
2.1 |
| Austria | 80.2 |
18.8 |
4.3 |
| Greece | 69.0 |
28.9 |
0.7 |
| Argentina (2005) | 65.8 |
10.7 |
0.7 |
| Italy | 57.3 |
23.7 |
2.8 |
| Mexico | 40.7 |
2.1 |
N/A |
| China (2005) | 8.8 |
N/A |
N/A |
Source: International Dairy Federation, Bulletin 423/2007.