Home Caffeine Addiction Caffeine: Consumption By Country

Caffeine: Consumption By Country

Here is a list of caffeine consumption worldwide. Two points: It doesn’t include energy or soft drinks – and the information is a little dated (from 1995 FAO data). It’s fascinating none-the-less.

  • Sweden, Denmark and Norway — all around 400mg of caffeine per person per day! Those guys must be wired.
  • South American countries such as Argentina and Brazil get most of their caffeine from Maté.
  • The Brits are big tea drinkers (no surprises there).
  • The US? Just 168mg of caffeine per person per day (mostly coffee). I wonder how this has changed as energy drinks have proliferated. Do coffee drinkers consume energy drinks as well?
Country Caffeine from coffee
mg per day		 Caffeine from tea
mg per day		 Caffeine from maté
mg per day		 Caffeine from cocoa
mg per day		 Caffeine from all these sources
mg per day
Algeria 79 5 0 1 85
Angola 4 - 0 0 4
Argentina 43 1 52 5 100
Australia 202 29 0 0 232
Austria 276 8 0 16 300
Brazil 26 1 10 4 40
Canada 180 18 0 12 210
China 2 14 0 0 16
Colombia 126 0 0 9 136
Denmark 354 15 0 21 390
Egypt 5 53 0 1 58
Finland 322 6 0 1 329
France 215 8 0 16 239
Germany 292 9 0 12 313
Guatemala 23 2 0 2 27
Honduras 160 - 0 2 162
Hungary 138 3 0 9 150
India 1 26 0 0 27
Ireland 81 127 0 5 213
Italy 198 3 0 8 210
Ivory Coast 6 1 0 13 20
Japan 119 44 0 5 169
Kenya 8 42 0 0 50
Kuwait 49 112 0 13 173
Malaysia 49 27 0 4 81
Netherlands 369 38 0 6 414
Nicaragua 219 - 0 1 221
Nigeria 1 2 0 1 4
Norway 379 8 0 13 400
Paraguay 51 1 101 3 156
Poland 100 33 0 8 141
Russian Fed 26 40 0 7 72
Saudi Arabia 14 13 0 2 28
South Africa 15 23 0 1 40
Sweden 388 12 0 7 407
Switzerland 275 11 0 1 288
Syria 35 67 5 2 108
Tanzania 3 4 0 0 7
United Arab Emirates 74 87 0 5 167
United Kingdom 92 96 0 14 202
United States 143 12 0 12 168
Venezuela 135 0 0 4 139

 

You can read more about this research in Pharmacological Reviews, Vol. 51, Issue 1, 83-133, March 1999 “Actions of Caffeine in the Brain with Special Reference to Factors That Contribute to Its Widespread Use” (link).

14 Comments

  • bill p
    2/15/07

    Actually, Brazil seems to get MOST of its caffine from sources other than maté (10mg from maté; 31 not maté). Perhaps you ment Argentina and Paraguay, since Paraguay seems to drink the most of the stuff.

  • Markus Sandström
    2/16/07

    Im from sweden, each day i down like two glaess of Cafè Late each made of 4 shots of espresso, aswell as 2 cans of Red Bull, and maen, am i wired, or what!?

    ;-P

  • David
    2/17/07

    im surprised by how low the united states’ consumption is, since i myself, have at least 600 milligrams on a school day, and even more on a weekend. On weekends i like to relax, and wake up with a 4 shot espresso and steamed soy milk, while my coffee is brewing, and over the next hour or so i enjoy around 8 cups of coffee, and usually have 2 more within the next four hours. because of the large amounts, the coming down can be tough, so i ween myself off with mate, because it tends to be more gentile.

    yes, i know i have a problem.

  • Kim
    3/1/07

    I have my morning tea, mid-moring coffee, after lunch coffee, afternoon double espresso and after dinner tea…. about how many mg’s do I consume a day?

  • James
    3/1/07

    This data has to be out of date, an average 20 oz cup of coffee has roughly 330 mg in it. And the average coffee drinker has at least two cups of coffee a day. This does not even take in account the Teas, Espresso and other coffee’s.

    Ok just noticed the data is from 1995. So this is way outdated for all countries.

  • Chanita
    3/1/07

    James, it wouldn’t nec be outdated for all countries — just those like the US that have supersized everything in recent years.

  • Blake
    3/1/07

    I am also surprised about the low USA consumption. I consume around 4-6 cups per day. I am an artist and a teacher. I don’t know how that equates to Mgs.

    I suppose there are worse vices a man can have :) .

  • Irma
    3/21/07

    The survey from the Netherlands….not likely to be instant coffee, cause they don’t touch the stuff! Perculators all the way

  • John B
    3/21/07

    Not trying to brag but-started drinking black coffee when i was 16, now i’m 47. I have at least 3 cups of Starbucks Sumatra before I leave for work & then hit the Folgers when I get to the office. The store next to my office has 16 oz. RipIt for .99 cents a can with roughly about 200 to 204 mg caffeine per can (depending on which flavor) & I usually chug 2-3 of these during the day. When I get home I usually make another short pot of Starbucks(about 6cups) and drink this after supper. I don’t get the shakes, jitters or have a problem going to sleep at night so I can honestly say when I read about an energy drink that has a “kick” I am pretty skeptical. I really haven’t found one that would give me a boost but I am still looking.

  • John B
    3/21/07

    Hmmmm-just read about the WiredX 505….gotta try that one! Maybe GNC has it-?….thats the only place I can fid Redline RTD.

  • levi
    3/23/08

    for me its at least 1000 lol!

  • levi
    3/29/08

    ud think in amsterdamn they would have highest caffine intake,from all the thc administration lol.

  • Poopykins
    3/2/10

    Meow. I say, meow. For I am the winner of me!

  • Shambhu Varma Ph.D.
    10/6/11

    Dears,

    Collection of data on caffeine intake from various countries is very helpful for an article. I have quoted it in one of my articles likely to come out in Clinical Ophthalmolodgy. I would however klie to have a citation of some papers used in putting the data together so nicely done. I would appreciate if you send me the original referernces in a form quotable in a scienctific paper. Best regards,
    Dr.Varma.

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Last Modified: August 18, 2011
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