Vegetable Consumption by Country 2024

Vegetables and other forms of fresh produce are critical parts of maintaining a healthy diet for all the world’s people. Eating as close to the doctor-recommended four or five daily servings as possible ensures a person gets enough dietary fiber and essential vitamins and minerals.

However, actual vegetable consumption varies drastically from one part of the world to another according to factors like the following.

Regional Diets

Croatia and China lead the global annual per capita consumption of vegetables by quite a bit with 329.77 kg and 323.74 kg respectively. As anyone familiar with the cuisine from either of these nations may be aware, vegetables figure heavily into traditional regional diets and commonly eaten cultural dishes.

In Croatia, annual vegetable consumption has even been on the rise. From 2019 to 2020, the average annual per capita consumption increased by an amazing 23.54 percent, highlighting the longstanding role agriculture has played in Croatia’s cultural history for centuries.

Accessibility

Countries on the lower end of the vegetable consumption spectrum – like Chad, Mozambique, and Ghana – typically consume a fraction of what top consumers do thanks to factors like accessibility issues.

For example, many poorer African nations deal with infrastructure-related limits that make it difficult for the average person to gain access to ample, adequate amounts of vegetable produce.

Economic Development

The economic climate in a country, region, or area typically demonstrates a strong connection to the average per capita consumption of vegetables, as well. The richer the nation, the more likely the people there are to make healthful, nutritious dietary choices – like incorporating more vegetables into their diets.

World populations that are comparatively resource-rich – like China, Croatia, or Guyana – often also have the national resources to invest in healthy diets. Conversely, poorer nations may not be capable of supplying the entire population with an adequate supply of vegetables.

Cultural Traditions

Cultural traditions tend to run deep and be quite resistant to change over the years, so they naturally affect factors like per capita vegetable consumption, as well.

For example, nations with cultural, spiritual, or religious traditions that encourage vegetarian or vegan diets (like Japan or Vietnam) may show a higher tendency to actively consume more vegetables and other produce than nations where the local culture dictates a diet high in meat or other animal products (such as Chile or El Salvador) .

Actively identifying and addressing factors like the above is an important part of boosting worldwide public health moving forward.