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Annual Consumption Per Capita 2020

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Sugar Consumption by Country 2024

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a daily intake of utmost 25 grams (5.75 tsp) of sugar per person for improved health. But, is this the case in most countries? It's certainly not. To explain this, we will look at a few examples of sugar consumption by country to know to what extent countries adhere to or offend this regulation.

10 Countries with the Highest Sugar Consumption

Country
Annual Consumption Per Capita 2020
Barbados52.86
Guatemala50.28
Cuba49.94
Belgium48.27
Kiribati48.12
Costa Rica46.27
Trinidad and Tobago45.86
Poland45.70
Bahrain44.32
New Zealand43.92

Sugar Consumption In The U.S.

The United States is the biggest consumer of sugar on the globe. According to sources, the country's per capita sugar consumption is 126.4 grams daily. That translates to more than ten times the lowest recommended intake of 11grams per day. According to health scientists, a significant percentage of this sugar is contained in these Americans' foods and beverages. And these added sugars may take different forms, including white/ brown sugar, honey, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, molasses, etc.

Though the federal government urged Americans to limit the amount added to only 10%, the effect of this recommendation has remained insignificant up to date.

Germany

Germany is the second-largest consumer of sugar in the world. According to the Washington Post, an average German citizen would consume 102.9 grams of sugar daily.

Like the case in the U.S., a significant percentage of this sugar is contained in processed foods like sweets, desserts, cakes, cookies, beverages, etc.

The National Library Of Medicine indicates that about ¾ of the sugar in the country is utilized in production firms, especially those dealing with sweets and beverages. This means sugar consumption in the country is not going to reduce anytime soon.

Netherlands

The Netherlands comes third on our list. Sources indicate that the per capita sugar consumption is 102.5 grams per day, doubling the WHO's recommended amount of 50 grams. According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the main foods accounting for the high sugar intake in the Netherlands include non-alcoholic beverages, cakes, cookies, candy, sweets, dairy, chocolates and other sweet foods. The NLM further indicates that very few people adhere to the WHO guidelines on low sugar intake of less than 5% of total energy.

Ireland

Ireland is the fourth largest consumer of sugar globally, with a per capita consumption rate of 96.7 grams per day. A vast percentage of this sugar is contained in processed foods like juices, sugary sports drinks, cookies, sweets, cakes, doughnuts, jellies, chocolates, ice creams, etc.

Though the Irish people are known for their uncontrolled craving for sweet things (sugar culture), some consume added sugar in seemingly healthy food out of ignorance. The headstuff blames the food processors for failing to include the sugar content in their foods.

Australia

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the country's per capita sugar consumption rate is 60 grams per day. This translates to 14 teaspoons, exceeding the recommended level by WHO.

Like other countries discussed above, a significant percentage of this sugar is consumed in foods and beverages like energy drinks, electrolytes, fruit and vegetable juices, cordial, cakes and muffins.

Download Table Data

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Country
Annual Consumption Per Capita 2020 (kg)
Total Consumption (tons)
Barbados52.8615
Guatemala50.28901
Cuba49.94566
Belgium48.27559
Kiribati48.126
Costa Rica46.27236
Trinidad and Tobago45.8664
Poland45.701,730
Bahrain44.3275
New Zealand43.92212
Malta43.8219
Lebanon43.40296
Saint Lucia41.808
Malaysia41.631,347
Jamaica41.31122
Chile40.59776
Denmark40.43234
Suriname40.1424
Nauru39.920
Netherlands39.66680
Honduras39.58392
Uruguay39.56137
Brazil39.238,339
Dominican Republic39.23426
Argentina39.181,771
Switzerland38.78336
Thailand38.662,698
Djibouti38.5438
Gambia38.2692
Mauritania38.18178
Nicaragua37.96251
Dominica37.883
Germany37.673,156
Belize37.6415
Saint Kitts and Nevis37.232
Georgia37.16148
North Macedonia36.7276
Grenada36.634
Canada35.981,358
Israel35.62308
Morocco34.541,275
Jordan34.22349
Russia34.184,988
Mexico34.154,403
Croatia33.81139
France33.742,202
Tunisia33.61397
Sweden33.42338
Australia33.36851
United States33.1710,979
Italy32.901,989
Austria32.84296
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines32.484
Finland32.23179
Cambodia32.21539
Iran32.032,690
Ukraine31.791,390
Colombia31.701,613
Greece31.64330
Czech Republic31.20334
Ireland31.16154
Saudi Arabia31.121,083
Latvia31.1259
Kuwait31.09133
Venezuela31.05883
Turkey30.452,568
Mauritius30.0538
South Africa29.981,778
Seychelles29.573
Algeria29.311,285
Iceland29.3010
Lithuania29.2780
Spain29.181,364
Libya29.03199
Armenia29.0186
Bahamas28.9711
United Arab Emirates28.93286
Hungary28.92279
Sri Lanka28.19604
South Korea27.841,427
Bulgaria27.51191
Kazakhstan27.46516
Sudan27.091,188
Eswatini26.8831
Norway26.59144
Guyana26.5321
Egypt26.272,688
Taiwan26.20624
Yemen26.15780
Hong Kong26.10196
Indonesia25.607,001
Romania25.29486
Samoa25.225
Botswana24.7058
Namibia24.5362
New Caledonia24.437
United Kingdom24.091,635
Qatar23.5068
French Polynesia23.427
Belarus23.39221
El Salvador23.15150
Portugal22.68231
Fiji22.5220
Panama22.4397
Serbia22.38195
Moldova21.7588
Antigua and Barbuda21.642
Philippines21.582,365
Haiti21.47245
Bolivia21.42250
Montenegro21.2413
Pakistan20.934,623
Slovakia20.69113
Azerbaijan20.65209
Oman20.51105
Iraq20.15695
Estonia19.8826
Maldives19.6611
Peru19.65648
India19.3826,739
Slovenia19.3640
Kenya18.801,011
Ecuador18.72330
Turkmenistan18.67113
Cape Verde18.6610
Albania18.5653
Bosnia and Herzegovina18.3060
Vietnam18.091,761
Uzbekistan17.81596
Cyprus17.5821
Japan17.232,180
Macau17.0411
Gabon16.9538
Senegal16.88283
Timor Leste16.8222
Tajikistan16.75160
Syria16.26285
Zimbabwe15.75234
Afghanistan15.24593
Sao Tome and Principe14.663
Paraguay14.63104
Guinea14.38189
Ghana13.51420
Bhutan13.1910
Kyrgyzstan13.1886
Solomon Islands12.789
Republic of the Congo12.5569
Angola12.50411
Comoros12.1711
Rwanda11.95155
Papua New Guinea11.82106
Mozambique11.12347
Uganda10.99503
Benin10.90132
Vanuatu10.783
Luxembourg10.757
Ivory Coast10.56279
Lesotho10.4422
Micronesia10.321
Cameroon10.23272
Mali10.10205
Tanzania9.80585
Laos9.7971
Nigeria9.681,996
Togo9.5379
Zambia9.34172
Chad9.30153
Malawi8.33159
Mongolia8.0026
Nepal7.86229
China7.3010,501
Sierra Leone7.1257
Madagascar6.97193
Liberia6.7134
South Sudan6.6875
Bangladesh6.331,043
Ethiopia6.32727
Central African Republic5.7228
Niger5.60136
Burkina Faso4.92103
North Korea4.51116
Burundi4.0348
Guinea Bissau3.747
Myanmar2.94160
DR Congo2.83254
Total156,064
showing: 185 rows

Which country eats the most sugar?

The United States is responsible for the most sugar consumption. Residents eat 126.4 grams of sugar every day in the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources