Olive Oil Consumption in Spain Continues to Grow
In Spain, extra virgin olive oil consumption rose by over 13 percent in 2019, with Spaniards consuming more than 138 million liters, leading to a per capita consumption of about three liters. Independent young people and retirees saw the largest increases in consumption, while independent adults were the only group to experience a decrease.
Extra virgin olive oil consumption in Spain grew by more than 13 percent from 2018 to 2019, according to a newly published report from the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.
Spaniards consumed more than 138 million liters of extra virgin olive oil in 2019, putting per capita consumption at about three liters, up nearly half a liter compared with 2018.
Independent young people and retirees were the two demographic groups that experienced the largest increases in consumptions, at 23.2 percent and 21.3 percent, respectively. Independent adults were the only demographic group that experienced a decrease in extra virgin olive oil consumption.
According to the report, extra virgin olive oil accounted for slightly more than 25 percent of the total volume of edible oils consumed in Spain in 2019.
Among the reasons for the increase in consumption are the persistently low olive oil prices in the country. From 2018 to 2019, the average price for a liter of extra virgin olive oil fell by nearly 17 percent.
The report also found that overall olive oil consumption increased by 3.3 percent, reaching about 356 million liters.
In 2018, the ministry reported that olive oil consumption grew by 3.5 percent, the largest such increase in a decade. The latest findings demonstrates that demand continues to trend upward in the world’s largest producer and consumer of olive oil.
While the country’s appetite for olive oil grows, the ministry’s data showed that table olive consumption had experienced a slight decrease in 2019, falling by nearly three percent to 112 million kilograms (247 million pounds).
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