– Cheese Production refers to the total quantity of cheese produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes.
Asia Cheese Production was 2,672 Thousand Tonnes in 2023, up 3.1% on 2022. The Asia Cheese Production dataset provides a comprehensive assessment of cheese production across Asia between 2015 and 2023. Measured in Thousand Tonnes, the dataset serves as an important benchmark for evaluating regional dairy production, processing capacity, agricultural productivity, milk utilization, and the performance of the cheese industry.
Asia Cheese Production moved from 1,767 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 2,672 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 (+51.2%), an average of +5.3% a year. The series high was 2,672 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 and the low 1,720 Thousand Tonnes in 2016.
The gap between the series high (2023) and low (2016) is 951.5 Thousand Tonnes. The sharpest single-year move was +35.3% in 2019.
Within Asia, Turkey has the highest value in 2023 at 830.2 Thousand Tonnes, 31.1% of the regional total.
Country ranking
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Full series
Complete annual series with year-on-year change. Values are reported in Thousand Tonnes.
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| Year | Thousand Tonnes | Change vs prior year |
|---|---|---|
| 2023Peak | 2,672 | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 2,591 | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 2,514 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 2,486 | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 2,434 | +35.3% |
| 2018 | 1,800 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 1,777 | +3.3% |
| 2016 Trough | 1,720 | −2.6% |
| 2015 | 1,767 | — |
Data definition
Cheese Production — – Cheese Production refers to the total quantity of cheese produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes. The indicator reflects the output of the dairy processing industry by measuring the production of cheese manufactured from milk. It is used to assess the scale of dairy processing, value-added agricultural production, and the performance of the cheese manufacturing sector. The data presented by Our World in Data is based on statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The data includes the annual production of natural and processed cheese manufactured from milk obtained from dairy animals. It covers cheese produced for domestic consumption, industrial use, and export, including a wide range of cheese varieties reported through official national agricultural and food manufacturing statistics. The figures represent gross domestic cheese production compiled and standardized by the FAO to ensure international comparability across countries and years.
The data excludes raw milk production, butter, yogurt, cream, milk powder, whey products, and other dairy products that are not classified as cheese. It also excludes cheese imports and exports, retail sales, inventories, informal or unrecorded production not captured in official statistics, and cheese substitutes made from non-dairy ingredients such as plant-based alternatives.
Cheese Production — – Cheese Production refers to the total quantity of cheese produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes. The indicator reflects the output of the dairy processing industry by measuring the production of cheese manufactured from milk. It is used to assess the scale of dairy processing, value-added agricultural production, and the performance of the cheese manufacturing sector. The data presented by Our World in Data is based on statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
It consolidates production data from China, Japan, India, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, and the remaining countries in the region, providing a comprehensive view of regional production trends and dairy sector development. Based on the validated data, Asia's cheese production totaled 1,766.77 thousand tonnes in 2015, declined slightly to 1,720.43 thousand tonnes in 2016, and recovered to 1,777.48 thousand tonnes in 2017 and 1,799.83 thousand tonnes in 2018. Production increased significantly to 2,434.48 thousand tonnes in 2019 and continued to grow to 2,485.61 thousand tonnes in 2020, 2,513.81 thousand tonnes in 2021, 2,590.72 thousand tonnes in 2022, and a period high of 2,671.90 thousand tonnes in 2023. China recorded consistent long-term growth, while Japan experienced moderate fluctuations. India remained a comparatively small producer but expanded notably in the final two years. Turkey became one of the region's largest contributors following a substantial increase in reported production from 2019 onward, while Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the remaining Asian countries supported steady regional growth. Overall, the dataset provides valuable insights into regional cheese production trends, dairy manufacturing performance, and agricultural value addition across Asia. It supports year-over-year trend analysis, regional and international benchmarking, production forecasting, and evaluation of dairy processing efficiency. Policymakers, dairy producers, processors, exporters, investors, market analysts, and researchers can leverage the dataset to assess industry competitiveness, identify growth opportunities, strengthen supply chain resilience, encourage technological innovation, support sustainable dairy production, and formulate evidence-based strategies for long-term growth across Asia's dairy industry.
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Definition – Cheese Production refers to the total quantity of cheese produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes. The indicator reflects the output of the dairy processing industry by measuring the production of cheese manufactured from milk. It is used to assess the scale of dairy processing, value-added agricultural production, and the performance of the cheese manufacturing sector. The data presented by Our World in Data is based on statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Asia Cheese Production was 2,672 Thousand Tonnes in 2023, up 3.1% on 2022.
Asia Cheese Production moved from 1,767 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 2,672 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 (+51.2%), an average of +5.3% a year. The series high was 2,672 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 and the low 1,720 Thousand Tonnes in 2016.
The highest value was 2,672 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 and the lowest was 1,720 Thousand Tonnes in 2016.
Included: The data includes the annual production of natural and processed cheese manufactured from milk obtained from dairy animals. It covers cheese produced for domestic consumption, industrial use, and export, including a wide range of cheese varieties reported through official national agricultural and food manufacturing statistics. The figures represent gross domestic cheese production compiled and standardized by the FAO to ensure international comparability across countries and years. Excluded: The data excludes raw milk production, butter, yogurt, cream, milk powder, whey products, and other dairy products that are not classified as cheese. It also excludes cheese imports and exports, retail sales, inventories, informal or unrecorded production not captured in official statistics, and cheese substitutes made from non-dairy ingredients such as plant-based alternatives.
The series is sourced from Our World in Data (https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/global-food?time=2023&country=USA~DEU~FRA~GBR~BRA~ZAF%3BhideControls&pickerSort=asc&Food=Cheese&Metric=Production&Per+capita=false). It covers 2015–2023 and is reported in Thousand Tonnes.
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