Contents
- Chocolate consumption statistics in Australia: apparent retail sales per capita, 2018–19 to 2024–25
- Chocolate consumption statistics in Switzerland: per-capita consumption and 2025 changes
- Chocolate consumption statistics in Switzerland: domestic sales, exports, and market split
- Chocolate consumption statistics in Switzerland: product categories and chocolate sales
- Chocolate consumption statistics from a Belgian 24-hour recall: averages and percentiles
- Chocolate consumption statistics by country: survey and industry comparisons
- Chocolate consumption statistics: how retail, industry, and survey measures differ
- Sources
Chocolate consumption statistics in Australia: apparent retail sales per capita, 2018–19 to 2024–25
Australia’s apparent chocolate consumption series tracks food purchased from the retail sector, expressed as grams per capita per day. The observations cover financial years, so each period runs across two calendar years. This is a retail-based estimate rather than a measure of what individuals reported eating. The Australian Bureau of Statistics says the series excludes listed non-retail sources and is not adjusted for storage or waste. Those boundaries matter when comparing it with dietary surveys or industry sales elsewhere. (ABS: Apparent Consumption of Selected Foodstuffs, Australia, 2024–25 financial year)
| Australian financial year | Apparent chocolate consumption (g per capita per day) |
|---|---|
| 2018–19 | 15.7 |
| 2019–20 | 16.4 |
| 2020–21 | 16.9 |
| 2021–22 | 17.4 |
| 2022–23 | 17.5 |
| 2023–24 | 16.7 |
| 2024–25 | 16.4 |
The series rises from 15.7 grams per capita per day in 2018–19 to 17.5 in 2022–23, then records 16.7 in 2023–24 and 16.4 in 2024–25. The values therefore show an increase through 2022–23 followed by lower readings in the next 2 financial years. They do not establish why the pattern changed, or how much chocolate a typical individual consumed. The measure is an apparent retail-sector amount spread across the population, and the exclusions and lack of waste adjustment remain part of its definition. (ABS: Selected confectionery products, Chocolate row)
The final reading, 16.4 grams per capita per day, is specifically for Australia’s 2024–25 financial year. It should not be treated as a calendar-year figure or converted into a direct comparison with a survey mean unless the underlying measures and periods are made explicit. (ABS: Apparent Consumption of Selected Foodstuffs, Australia, 2024–25 financial year)
Chocolate consumption statistics in Switzerland: per-capita consumption and 2025 changes
CHOCOSUISSE reported Swiss per-capita chocolate consumption of 10.3 kilograms in calendar year 2025. In the same reporting, 6.1 kilograms per capita was Swiss chocolate and 4.2 kilograms was imported chocolate. These figures distinguish the product’s origin; together they describe different components of the reported Swiss consumption measure. (CHOCOSUISSE: Key data for the Swiss chocolate industry in 2025)
| Swiss per-capita measure, 2025 | Kilograms per capita | Change from 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Total chocolate | 10.3 | −2.7% |
| Swiss chocolate | 6.1 | −4.5% |
| Imported chocolate | 4.2 | −0.2% |
The overall per-capita measure declined by 2.7% compared with 2024. Consumption of Swiss chocolate per capita fell by 4.5%, while the imported chocolate measure was down 0.2%, described by CHOCOSUISSE as virtually stable. The figures show different year-over-year changes within the reported categories, but do not explain the reasons for those changes. (CHOCOSUISSE, pp. 1, 3: Per capita consumption)
The report also says imported chocolate accounted for around 41% of total chocolate consumption in Switzerland in 2025. “Around” is the source’s wording; it is not a more precise market share. Per-capita consumption and the share by origin concern consumption in Switzerland, while the manufacturer sales and export measures in the following section describe the Swiss chocolate industry. (CHOCOSUISSE, p. 1)
Chocolate consumption statistics in Switzerland: domestic sales, exports, and market split
Swiss chocolate manufacturers sold 192,548 tonnes in total in 2025. Of that volume, domestic sales were 55,719 tonnes and exports were 136,829 tonnes. Compared with 2024, total sales volume was down 7.9%; domestic sales were down 4.4%, and exports were down 9.3%. These are manufacturer sales volumes, not per-person consumption amounts. (CHOCOSUISSE, p. 3: Sales of Swiss chocolate)
| Swiss chocolate manufacturer sales, 2025 | Volume (tonnes) | Change from 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 192,548 | −7.9% |
| Domestic sales | 55,719 | −4.4% |
| Exports | 136,829 | −9.3% |
The report’s production-volume split assigns 71.1% to exports and 28.9% to the domestic market. This is a share of total production volume sold into those markets. It provides a second view of the domestic-versus-export structure alongside the tonnage figures, without changing their scope. (CHOCOSUISSE, p. 3: Ratio of exports to domestic market)
Germany was the largest listed export market, with 28,461 tonnes in 2025. The United Kingdom ranked second at 12,774 tonnes, and France third at 12,389 tonnes. These destination volumes identify the top 3 markets in the report’s leading-markets table; they are not a complete breakdown of all export destinations. (CHOCOSUISSE, p. 3: Leading export markets)
Chocolate consumption statistics in Switzerland: product categories and chocolate sales
CHOCOSUISSE divides the Swiss chocolate industry’s 2025 sales volume among product categories. Bars were the largest listed category at 48.0%. Semi-finished products, including powder, accounted for 22.2%; chocolate confectionery for 18.7%; small formats for 5.7%; and other products, including festive articles, for 5.5%. These are shares of manufacturer sales volume, rather than shares of consumer intake or revenue. (CHOCOSUISSE, p. 3: Significance of product categories)
| Swiss chocolate industry product category | Share of 2025 sales volume |
|---|---|
| Bars | 48.0% |
| Semi-finished products, including powder | 22.2% |
| Chocolate confectionery | 18.7% |
| Small formats | 5.7% |
| Other products, including festive articles | 5.5% |
The category labels capture distinct forms of industry output. Bars alone represent just under half of the reported volume, while semi-finished products and confectionery are each substantial categories in their own right. The remaining listed shares cover small formats and other products. The data are useful for describing what manufacturers sold by volume, but cannot be read as a breakdown of how much Swiss residents ate. (CHOCOSUISSE, p. 3: Significance of product categories, share of sales volume)
Chocolate consumption statistics from a Belgian 24-hour recall: averages and percentiles
A Belgian study published in 2023 used a 24-hour recall with 2,055 participants. For its defined category “chocolate and chocolate products,” it reported an average of 28 grams per day, with a standard deviation of 38 grams. The median was 16 grams per day, and the 95th percentile was 100 grams per day. The authors also gave annual equivalents: 10 kilograms per year for the average, 6 kilograms per year for the median, and 37 kilograms per year for the 95th percentile. (Vanderschueren et al., 2023, section 3.1.3)
| Belgian 24-hour recall measure | Chocolate and chocolate products |
|---|---|
| Participants | 2,055 |
| Average | 28 g per day (standard deviation 38 g) |
| Median | 16 g per day |
| 95th percentile | 100 g per day |
| Author-reported annual equivalent of average | 10 kg per year |
| Author-reported annual equivalent of median | 6 kg per year |
| Author-reported annual equivalent of 95th percentile | 37 kg per year |
The average, median, and 95th percentile describe different points in the observed distribution. The median of 16 grams marks the midpoint, while the 95th percentile is a high-end value; neither should be confused with the average of 28 grams. The standard deviation of 38 grams indicates variability in the recalled daily amounts, but does not itself describe the pattern of every participant. The annual equivalents are the study authors’ reported figures, not separate year-long observations. (Vanderschueren et al., 2023, section 3.1.3)
The paper notes that 16% of recall entries included zero cacao-containing products and that these non-consumers remained in the analyses. That statement applies to the broader cacao-containing-products measure during the recall period; the paper’s chocolate and chocolate-products category is separately defined in Table 2. The authors also note cohort selection bias toward chocolate consumers, a relevant limitation when interpreting the findings as representative of the Belgian population. (Vanderschueren et al., 2023, section 3.1.3 and Table 2)
Chocolate consumption statistics by country: survey and industry comparisons
Table 1 in the Belgian study presents estimates from different national surveys and industry sources. The survey estimates vary by country, population group, and source vintage. Among adult samples, reported averages include 14 grams per day for the first Belgian National Food Consumption Survey, 6 grams per day for French INCA3, 10 grams per day for Germany’s National Nutrition Survey II, 2 grams per day for Italy’s INRAN-SCAI, 12 grams per day for the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey, and 9 grams per day for the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. (Vanderschueren et al., 2023, Table 1)
For all participants, the same table reports 15 grams per day for the second Belgian National Food Consumption Survey, 7.5 grams per day for French INCA3, 9 grams per day for Germany’s National Nutrition Survey II, 3 grams per day for Italy’s INRAN-SCAI, 13 grams per day for the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey, and 9 grams per day for the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. These are the values and population labels shown in the paper; they do not form a single synchronized international survey. (Vanderschueren et al., 2023, Table 1)
The table also lists Belgian industry estimates with population “not specified”: 24 grams per day attributed to ICCO (2012), 15 grams per day attributed to Euromonitor for Lindt & Sprüngli (2018), and 18 grams per day attributed to CHOCOSUISSE (2021). It gives a French ICCO (2012) estimate of 19 grams per day, also with population not specified. Because the underlying populations are unspecified for those rows, they should not be set alongside adult or all-participant survey averages as if the methods and denominators matched. (Vanderschueren et al., 2023, Table 1)
Chocolate consumption statistics: how retail, industry, and survey measures differ
The figures in this comparison use different units and answer different questions. Australia’s ABS series reports apparent retail-sector consumption per capita per day across financial years. CHOCOSUISSE reports Swiss per-capita chocolate consumption as well as manufacturer sales, exports, revenue, and product-category shares. The Belgian study reports individual dietary survey results from a 24-hour recall and summarizes estimates from surveys and industry sources. Those measures should be read within their own scope rather than treated as interchangeable country rankings. (ABS; CHOCOSUISSE; Vanderschueren et al., 2023)
The Belgian study used both a food frequency questionnaire and a 24-hour recall with 2,055 participants. A recall captures reported intake for a particular day, while the paper’s broader study design also included a frequency questionnaire. In the recall analysis, non-consumers were retained: 16% of entries showed no cacao-containing products during the recall time. The chocolate and chocolate-products result is a narrower category than cacao-containing products overall, as defined in the study’s Table 2. (Vanderschueren et al., 2023, abstract, section 3.1.3 and Table 2)
The paper’s cross-country table makes clear that survey and industry estimates carry different populations and source dates. It includes adult-only and all-participant survey figures, while industry rows list the population as not specified. The Belgian study also cautions that its cohort was selected in a way that favored chocolate consumers. These details limit direct comparisons: the figures provide context for differing reported measures, not a uniform contemporary ranking of national chocolate consumption. (Vanderschueren et al., 2023, Table 1 and study notes)
CHOCOSUISSE’s 2025 industry revenue adds another distinct measure: Swiss chocolate manufacturers reported CHF 2,467 million, up 11.8% from 2024. Revenue is a monetary total and cannot be interpreted as physical consumption or sales volume. Read alongside the reported 2025 volume figures, per-capita measures, and survey results, it illustrates why the label “chocolate consumption statistics” covers several kinds of evidence with different denominators, units, periods, and populations. (CHOCOSUISSE, pp. 1, 3: Revenue)