Global coffee consumption: the highs and the rise

Coffee beans (Coffea canephora and Coffea arabica) are grown in more than 70 countries, primarily located around the tropical regions of the equator – in Africa, South America, and Asia. The top 20 countries with the highest coffee production are (in order): Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Honduras, Uganda, Ivory Coast, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Dominican Republic. Kenya is in 21^st position.

But the high production countries are not the countries with the highest consumption of coffee per capita.

The Netherlands tops the list of per-capita consumption of 2.4 cups a day. It is the only country to exceed the 2 cup-a-day barrier, according to The Atlantic (January 15, 2014), which provided the results for 80 countries.

The top 20 countries that consume the most coffee are: Netherlands (2.4 cups per day per capita average), Finland (1.8), Sweden (1.4), Denmark (1.2), Germany (1.2), Slovakia (1.2), Serbia (1.2), Czech Republic (1.2), Poland (1.2), Norway (1.1), Slovenia (1.1), Canada (1.0), Belgium (1.0), Switzerland (1.0), New Zealand (0.9), USA (0.9), Austria (0.8), Costa Rica (0.8), Greece (0.8), and Algeria (0.8).

The bottom 20 countries – those that consume the least amount of coffee – include: South Africa (0.1), United Arab Emirates (0.1), Malaysia (0.1), Kazakhstan (0.1), Bolivia (0.1), Ecuador (0.1), Hong Kong (0.1), Cameroon (0.1), Peru (0.1), Indonesia (0.04), Vietnam (0.03), Taiwa (0.03), Egypt (0.02), India (0.02), Uzbekistan (0.009), Pakistan (0.008), Kenya (0.007), Azerbaijan (0.006), China (0.003), and Nigeria (0.002).

Georgia is currently 27^th with 0.6 cups on average per day per capita, which is almost the same as Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan combined – and rising. Georgia has significantly increased its coffee consumption – by 10% from 2012 to 2013 (finchannel.com April 7, 2014). It imports coffee beans from several countries, but most come from Indonesia. Georgia’s top import countries for coffee are: Indonesia, Armenia, Vietnam, Russia, and Italy. However, Georgia imports a lot of instant coffee too – from Singapore, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Taiwan, and India.

Georgia’s significant upturn in coffee consumption is attributable to increased consumer disposable incomes, as well as the growth of supermarkets in the country. The trend for instant coffee is growing over freshly ground coffee, mainly due to price and convenience. However the consumption of freshly ground coffee is not expected to decline, but rather, it is likely to remain stable, reported Euromonitor International. The increase in sales is expected to come from speciality and Italian coffee varieties. But if the rate of increase in coffee continues, Georgia may become one of the world’s biggest consumers of coffee.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/here-are-the-countries-that-drink-the-most-coffee-the-us-isnt-in-the-top-10/283100/

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