--- title: "Who In The World Consumes The Most Olive Oil? Hint: It's not the US." description: A comparison of the biggest consumers of olive oil per capita, including a chart of each countries consumption levels. Bon appétit! image: https://www.centrafoods.com/hs-fs/file-1327194088-png/images/Screen_shot_2014-07-25_at_12.11.35_PM.png --- [![Centra Foods | Simply Authentic](https://www.centrafoods.com/hs-fs/file-339185492-png/images/centra-logo.png?width=487&height=64&name=centra-logo.png "Centra Foods | Simply Authentic")](https://www.centrafoods.com) [Bulk Oil Blog](http://centrafoods.com/blog) # [Who In The World Consumes The Most Olive Oil? Hint: It's not the US.](https://www.centrafoods.com/blog/who-in-the-world-consumes-the-most-olive-oil) Posted by [Hannah Broaddus](https://www.centrafoods.com/blog/author/hannah-broaddus) October 3, 2014 at 7:30 AM ![World Nationality Consumption for Bulk Olive Oil](https://www.centrafoods.com/hs-fs/file-589027314-jpg/images/blog17-pouring-oil-on-bread.jpg?width=300&name=blog17-pouring-oil-on-bread.jpg "World Nationality Consumption for Bulk Olive Oil")What nationality of people do you think eat (and drink, yes, did you know people do that?) the most olive oil? A few years ago, I personally would have guessed the Italians.  Makes sense, right?  A lot of olive oil comes from there, it's the epitome of the Mediterranean lifestyle. Before we go any further, place your wagers now! Drumroll please... ## The Greeks Consume The Most Olive Oil In The World When you do a side-by-side comparison of each nationality, it's actually those who are from Greece who consume the most olive oil year after year.  Though the actual numbers of how much they eat varies (depending on who you ask and the year), all sources agree that the Greeks devour a minimum of 20 liters per year.   That's more than a 5 gallon bucket, all to themselves. ### After that, It's The Primary Mediterranean Countries The next biggest consumers of olive oil are, in decreasing order: 1. Spain 2. Italy 3. Portugal 4. Syria 5. Morocco 6. Tunisia ### How Does The US Consumption of Olive Oil Compare? Americans, in comparison, don't indulge in too much olive oil.  On average, we consume only 1.1 liters of olive oil every year1.  That's pretty low, in comparison to some of the other Mediterranean countries. Findings from the North American Olive Oil Association show that olive oil is in 50% of the homes in the US; this is up from 30% about 5 years ago2.  Therefore, in actuality, the people that actually eat olive oil regularly are probably getting about 2 liters per year.   Interestingly though, because the US is so large, our consumuption of olive oil based on total world volumes is actually pretty high.  Of all of the oil that is produced and available in the world, the US devours about 9% of it each year.  Even with Greece's high consumption rate, because their country is so small, they consume only 7%. ## Compare Each Nationality's Annual Average Consumption of Olive Oil See the graph1 below, comparing how much the average person in each country polishes off each year.  ![Screen_shot_2014-07-25_at_12.11.35_PM](https://www.centrafoods.com/hs-fs/file-1327194088-png/images/Screen_shot_2014-07-25_at_12.11.35_PM.png?width=798&name=Screen_shot_2014-07-25_at_12.11.35_PM.png) 1 http://c1.oliveoiltim.es/library/naooa-survey.pdf 2 http://www.aboutoliveoil.org/consumption.html Topics: [Industry Trends](https://www.centrafoods.com/blog/topic/industry-trends) ### Don't Forget to Share! [Share via Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.centrafoods.com%2Fblog%2Fwho-in-the-world-consumes-the-most-olive-oil) [Share via Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.centrafoods.com%2Fblog%2Fwho-in-the-world-consumes-the-most-olive-oil&text=Who+In+The+World+Consumes+The+Most+Olive+Oil%3F+Hint%3A+It%27s+not+the+US.) [Share via Email ](mailto:?subject=Who+In+The+World+Consumes+The+Most+Olive+Oil%3F+Hint%3A+It%27s+not+the+US.&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.centrafoods.com%2Fblog%2Fwho-in-the-world-consumes-the-most-olive-oil) [Share via LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.centrafoods.com%2Fblog%2Fwho-in-the-world-consumes-the-most-olive-oil&title=Who+In+The+World+Consumes+The+Most+Olive+Oil%3F+Hint%3A+It%27s+not+the+US.&summary=A+comparison+of+the+biggest+consumers+of+olive+oil+per+capita%2C+including+a+chart+of+each+countries+consumption+levels.++Bon+app%C3%A9tit%21)   #### Related Articles #### ↓ [Organic](https://www.centrafoods.com/blog/topic/organic) [Industry Trends](https://www.centrafoods.com/blog/topic/industry-trends) If you're selling organic products, it's important to undersand why your customers want to buy organic in the first place. This information will help you market and sell... [Organic](https://www.centrafoods.com/blog/topic/organic) [Industry Trends](https://www.centrafoods.com/blog/topic/industry-trends) The organic industry is steadily growing, and organic foods are holding more and more appeal to consumers that are already buying natural, non-gmo or whole foods. ... [![Download The eBook - All About Olive Oil](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/260019/606e8742-89db-407c-9f4c-07b0a12b58e4.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/260019/606e8742-89db-407c-9f4c-07b0a12b58e4) ### Enter your email below to get commodity market updates & cost-saving tips for procurement professionals. ## Comments ---         --- ## Buy & Ship Direct From Our Online Store ***Select an item below to see live pricing**** (LTL quotes included at checkout).*       Now you can [**order direct from our website**](http://centrafoods.com/store), without ever talking to a salesperson.  We've created this new industry-leading online storefront which makes the bulk oil buying process so much easier! - See live price quotes for oils online - Shipping costs are auto-calculated at checkout - Buy single drums, partial pallets or full pallets - Pay with a credit card - Ships from Centra Foods within 1-3 business days     [![SHOP NOW](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/260019/56b02799-517b-48ac-a331-94d1cb090fa4.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/260019/56b02799-517b-48ac-a331-94d1cb090fa4) ### About [Buy Bulk Oil Online](http://centrafoods.com/store) [Request Pricing](https://www.centrafoods.com/request-pricing) [Services](https://www.centrafoods.com/services) [About](https://www.centrafoods.com/why-us/about) ### Resources [Articles](https://www.centrafoods.com/resources/articles) [eBooks](https://www.centrafoods.com/ebooks) [Videos](https://www.centrafoods.com/videos) [Case Studies](https://www.centrafoods.com/resources/case-studies) [Tips & Tools](https://www.centrafoods.com/tips-tools) [Glossary](https://www.centrafoods.com/glossary-of-terms) ### Certifications ![USDA-Organic-Logo-no-background-sm.png](https://www.centrafoods.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/USDA-Organic-Logo-no-background-sm.png?width=50&name=USDA-Organic-Logo-no-background-sm.png "USDA-Organic-Logo-no-background-sm.png") ![Star-K-no-background-sm.png](https://www.centrafoods.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/Star-K-no-background-sm.png?width=50&name=Star-K-no-background-sm.png "Star-K-no-background-sm.png") ![Non-GMO-Project-Logo-sm.jpg](https://www.centrafoods.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/Non-GMO-Project-Logo-sm.jpg?width=50&name=Non-GMO-Project-Logo-sm.jpg "Non-GMO-Project-Logo-sm.jpg") ![Logo FSSC 22000](https://www.centrafoods.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo%20FSSC%2022000.jpg?width=1131&name=Logo%20FSSC%2022000.jpg "Logo FSSC 22000") ### Contact Sales [(206) 939-1355](tel:2538726907)   [8629 S 208th St.](https://www.google.com/maps/dir//Centra+Foods+%7C+Bulk+Oils,+8629+South+208th+Street,+Bldg+O,+Kent,+WA+98031/@47.4147485,-122.2945673,12z/data=!4m13!1m4!3m3!1s0x54905946622ccdb7:0x89392c4d34e73456!2sCentra+Foods+%7C+Bulk+Oils!3b1!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x54905946622ccdb7:0x89392c4d34e73456!2m2!1d-122.225901!2d47.414769) [Kent, WA 98031](https://www.google.com/maps/dir//Centra+Foods+%7C+Bulk+Oils,+8629+South+208th+Street,+Bldg+O,+Kent,+WA+98031/@47.4147485,-122.2945673,12z/data=!4m13!1m4!3m3!1s0x54905946622ccdb7:0x89392c4d34e73456!2sCentra+Foods+%7C+Bulk+Oils!3b1!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x54905946622ccdb7:0x89392c4d34e73456!2m2!1d-122.225901!2d47.414769)   [**](https://www.facebook.com/CentraFoodsOil) [**](https://twitter.com/CentraFoods) [**](http://www.linkedin.com/company/centra-foods) [**](https://plus.google.com/+CentraFoodsKent/posts) [**](https://www.centrafoods.com/blog/rss.xml) Copyright © Centra Foods 2026     |     [Privacy Policy](https://www.centrafoods.com/privacy-policy)