Ten countries eat more peanut butter than Americans

Peanut-based foods are staples, not snacks, in much of Africa and Asia—driving Burkina Faso, Myanmar, and Chad to the top of the global peanut butter consumption leaderboard despite limited industrial food sectors.

Key Takeaways

1. Population size doesn't predict per-person habits: The U.S. and China are top total consumers, but per-capita rankings show the U.S. trails countries like Argentina and Cameroon, while China outpaces most Western nations.
2. Europe’s taste for PB is niche but strong: Despite limited cultural ties to peanut butter, the Netherlands and Belgium lead Europe’s consumption due to growing health, protein, and vegan trends.

Data & Caveats

• Data sources:
• Consumption: IndexMundi, USDA, IndexBox
• Population: World Population Review (2025)
• Scope of “peanut butter” varies: IndexMundi figures include peanut meal—a broad category covering pastes, sauces, and cooking uses (not just jarred spreads).
• Per-capita figures are approximated from 2024/2025 domestic-use tonnage ÷ mid-2025 population estimates.
• IndexMundi’s broader category includes peanut meal, leading to higher tonnage, but USDA’s PB-only figure (~2 kg pp) better reflects jarred spread use.

🥜 Related Facts

1. 🇺🇸 Peanut butter wasn’t invented in the U.S. — but America industrialized it and remains the world’s largest commercial exporter of peanut butter products.
2. 🍲 In Myanmar and West Africa, groundnut paste is a cooking staple, not a snack — forming the base of stews, sauces, and porridges, and driving up per-capita consumption.
3. 🛒 The Netherlands leads Europe not just in PB consumption, but in retail innovation — supermarkets often carry a dozen or more flavored or natural peanut butter varieties.
4. 🏭 Peanut oil extraction can reduce spread availability — in some countries, peanuts are diverted to industrial crushing, not food retail, distorting per-capita comparisons.
5. 📈 Asia is the fastest-growing market for peanut butter — especially in China and India, where Western-style spreads are booming among urban consumers and youth.