Fruit Consumption by Country 2024

Fruit is one of the most versatile foods worldwide. It is defined as the sweet and fleshy product of a seeded tree or plant. Currently, there are over types of 2,000 fruits. The category of a handful of these fruits is under debate - fruit or vegetable. And many fruits also have multiple types. The popular apple has over 7,500 varieties grown worldwide.

Tomatoes, technically a fruit because of their seeds, are the most popular. Worldwide, the most popular seven fruits include tomatoes, bananas, watermelons, apples, grapes, oranges, and mangoes.

Dominica, an island nation in the eastern Caribbean, is home to the world's biggest fruit eaters. Dominicans eat 387.2 kg of fruit annually - equaling 1,500 apples or 2,500 bananas each. Second in fruit consumption are the people of the neighboring Dominican Republic, with 353 kg each year.

Guyana's population eats over 294 kg per person, while Uganda's people average 200 kg. The small country of Ghana and the small eastern African country of Malawi, along the shores of Lake Malawi, have fruit-centric diets - consuming nearly 175 kg per person. The African coastal islands of São Tomé and Principe eat 214 kg and 200 kg yearly.

Papua New Guinea and Samoa island nations of the South Pacific enjoy 157 kg of fruit.

Each person in Greece consumes over 142 kg of fruit, with olives and watermelon the most popular. The Portuguese love for fruit is apparent, as they consume 130.5 kg per capita annually. In Italy, each person eats 129.9 kg of fruit.

The average American eats 93.8 kg of fruit per year: 25.8 kg of oranges, 15.5 kg of apples, and 11.2 kg of bananas. The people of the United Kingdom show similar preferences, consuming 86.4 kg of fruit consisting of 20.3 kg of oranges, 17.1 kg of apples, and 13.8 kg of bananas.

But not every country and culture gives fruit pride of place. And many African nations eat fewer fruits annually. The Asian countries of Mongolia and Cambodia include an estimated 13.5 kg of fruit in their diets. Lesotho, East Timor, Mauritania, and Ethiopia range yearly from 13.82 kg to 12.2 kg of fruit. The north-central African countries of Chad, Zambia, and Togo consistently eat less than 7.0 kg of fruit annually. The Gambia, a 450-mile-long West African country along the Gambian River, records the lowest fruit consumption per person, 4.6 kg.