Which Country Consumes the Most Lentils in the World?

Other Non-Perennial Crops February 09, 2018

Blog Blog / Agriculture / Other Non-Perennial Crops

Author: Sergey Avramenko

PositionHead of Global Markets Research Team

Global lentil consumption amounted to 5,165 thousand tonnes in 2015, moving up by +7.0% against the previous year level. Overall, the global lentil consumption indicated a pronounced growth from 2007 to 2015. The trend pattern, however, indicated some noticable fluctuations throughout the analyzed period. The total consumption volume increased at an average annual rate of +5.8%. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2009, when the output figure increased by +39% from the previous year level. Over the period under review, the global lentil consumption reached its maximum volume in 2015, and is likely to continue its growth in the immediate term.

Top Lentil Consuming Countries in the World

1. Canada (2348K Tonnes)

2. India (1139K Tonnes)

3. Turkey (307K Tonnes)

4. Nepal (239K Tonnes)

5. Australia (196K Tonnes)

Global Lentils Consumption

With nearly 2,348 thousand tonnes, Canada became the world’s leading lentil consuming country, comprising 46% of global consumption. The other major consumers were India (1,139 thousand tonnes) and Turkey (307 thousand tonnes), with a share of 22% and 6%, respectively. Moreover, lentil consumption in Canada surpassed the figures recorded by India twofold. They were followed by Nepal with a 5% of global consumption share and Australia with a 4% share.

From 2007 to 2015, an average annual growth rate of lentil consumption in Canada stood at +15.6%. The remaining consuming countries recorded the following average annual growth rates: India (+2.8% per year) and Turkey (-6.7% per year).

Per capita lentil in Canada was estimated at 65.34 kg/year, much higher than the global average of 1.85 kg/year. Canada was the leading country in terms of per capita consumption, among the main consumers of lentil, followed by Nepal (8.39 kg/year), Australia (8.19 kg/year), Turkey (3.90 kg/year) and India (0.87 kg/year).

In Canada, per capita lentil consumption has grown noticably (+14.4% per year) in recent years. In 2015, Canada per capita consumption reached 65.34 kg/year as compared with 22.25 kg/year in 2007.

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