Chocolate, can you give it up?
Have a break, have a KitKat
Throughout January, millions of people will be making New Year’s Resolutions to start something new or cut back on their favourite indulgences
Only 46% of people who made a resolution report that they successfully achieve it, although this is still a lot of people making a change in their lives (if only temporarily)
To mark this, we’re sharing stats about some of the most common New Year’s Resolutions - the first being Chocolate (or the act of giving it up)!
How much Chocolate is consumed around the world?
Most people around the world eat chocolate (roughly 80% of the world’s population according to some estimates)
All of these people bought 7.5 million tons of chocolate in 2021 (this is 7.5 billion kilograms which is equivalent to just under a kilogram of chocolate per person per year, or each of us having 5.5 big bars of Dairy Milk each year)
Wait, what? 5.5 Dairy Milks?!?
Well, chocolate consumption isn’t even around the world. Some countries eat a lot more of it than others
Which countries consume the most chocolate?
While chocolate is consumed worldwide, its mostly commonly found in the western world
Europe consumes roughly 50% of the world’s chocolate, and has 16 of the 20 countries that consume chocolate, with a further 20% of global consumption coming from the United States
Switzerland wins the award for consuming the most chocolate each year at 10.1 kilograms per person (kgs pp), with other notable mentions including:
- Austria (9.1 kgs pp)
- Ireland (8.8 kgs pp)
- Germany, Norway and UK (all 8.1 kgs pp)
This is a lot more than 5 big Dairy Milks!
But preferences are also different around the world
Milk chocolate is the most common chocolate in the United States, with 49% of Americans prefering this variety vs. dark chocolate, 34%). Europeans are a bit more partial to Dark Chocolate though
White Chocolate (which is consumed a lot less than dark or milk chocolate) is most popular in Brazil, 15.5% of total sales, followed by The Netherlands (15%), South Africa (13.5%) and Mexico (11%)
Where does all this chocolate come from?
In practical terms, chocolate is made from cocoa beans, sugar, lecithin and sometimes milk
Cocoa beans come from the cocoa tree which produces roughly 50 pods per year (across two harvests), with roughly 40 beans per pod. As each pod can produce c. 8 milk chocolate bars, that means each cocoa tree only makes 400 regular-sized bars a chocolate a year
The majority of cocoa beans used to produce the world’s chocolate come from Africa, despite the continent only accounting for 3.3% of global chocolate consumption
While a lot of cocoa is processed in Europe (it processes 35% of all beans), the majority of cocoa supply, over 60%, comes from just two countries: Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana
Despite the popularity of chocolate in the western world, this doesn’t translate to a prosperous industry for farmers in these countries
Cocoa farmers only earn 6% of the final price of a chocolate bar and 80% of farmers in Cote d’Ivoire earn less than $1 per day
And this is a big industry with 40% of Cote d’Ivoire’s entire population involved in cocoa farming (this is roughly 12 million people, including an estimated 2 million children)
In terms of its other ingredients, sugar is the next most common. In the US alone, 3.6 million kilograms of sugar is used every day by chocolate manufacturers
And you can get other ingredients like biscuits and nuts that are also used in chocolate products. For example, nearly 40% of the world’s Almond supply and 20% of all peanuts are used in the chocolate industry
Who are the biggest producers of Chocolate?
The global chocolate market is worth roughly $130 billion, and it is an industry dominated by the six biggest manufacturers, which control 80% of the market:
- Mars Wrigley (USA): $18 billion per year
- Ferrero (LUX/ITA): $13 billion
- Mondelez (USA): $11.8 billion
- Meiji (JAP): $9.7 billion
- Hershey (USA): $8 billion
- Nestle (CHE): $7.9 billion
These companies don’t just produce one brand of chocolate though
For example, Mars Wrigley have 32 chocolate and confectionary brands including M&Ms, Maltesers, Milkyway, Galaxy, Snickers, Twix, Dove, Bounty, Celebrations and, of course, Mars bars
Ferrero are also well known for one brand (Ferrero Rocher), but produce a number of others, including Britain’s Thorntons chocolate and Nutella, which commands 50% of the global chocolate spread market and uses 25% of the world’s supply of hazelnuts
So, should you give up eating chocolate?
Well, bear in mind that the average Brit can expect to consume 7,560 chocolate bars, more than 3,000 hot chocolates, 126 Easter Eggs and almost 3,000 miniature chocolates in their lifetime
If you think you’re having a bit too much, there’s only one thing to do - have a break (have a KitKat)
Check out more GoodStats about Christmas and New Year:
- The Gift of Giving; I hope you enjoy this 4 minute-long present
- Let it Snow! Are you dreaming of a White Christmas?
