Europeans consume more milk and dairy products than in other regions

Europe consumes more milk and dairy products than other world regions, mainly because dairy availability is much higher there.

The chart compares milk supply per person across the world’s regions. It uses data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and is based on “supply,” meaning the amount of milk available for consumption—adjusted for consumer waste—so it runs slightly higher than what people actually consume.

Dairy products in the measure include items such as yogurt and cheese, because they’re estimated based on how much milk is used to produce them, and the measure does not include butter. Even with these definitions, the differences are large: Europe’s per-capita dairy availability is more than two and a half times the global average, while regions such as Africa and Asia have far less available dairy per person.