– Cheese Production refers to the total quantity of cheese produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes.
Australia Cheese Production was 374.8 Thousand Tonnes in 2023, down 12.1% on 2022. The Australia Cheese Production dataset provides a comprehensive assessment of the country's cheese manufacturing performance and the evolution of its dairy processing industry between 2015 and 2023.
Australia Cheese Production moved from 344.1 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 374.8 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 (+8.9%), an average of +1.1% a year. The series high was 426.5 Thousand Tonnes in 2022 and the low 336.7 Thousand Tonnes in 2017.
The gap between the series high (2022) and low (2017) is 89.72 Thousand Tonnes. The sharpest single-year move was +16.5% in 2022.
Among the 30 countries in this dataset, Australia ranks 15 for 2023, behind U.S. (6,628 Thousand Tonnes) and Germany (3,042 Thousand Tonnes). It accounts for 1.4% of the global total in 2023.
Full series
Complete annual series with year-on-year change. Values are reported in Thousand Tonnes.
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| Year | Thousand Tonnes | Change vs prior year |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 374.8 | −12.1% |
| 2022Peak | 426.5 | +16.5% |
| 2021 | 366.2 | −1.3% |
| 2020 | 371.1 | −2.6% |
| 2019 | 381 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 377 | +12% |
| 2017 Trough | 336.7 | −2.2% |
| 2016 | 344.3 | 0% |
| 2015 | 344.1 | — |
Regional context
Cheese Production by country, 2023, Thousand Tonnes. Australia is highlighted.
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).
Measured in Thousand Tonnes, the dataset serves as a valuable benchmark for evaluating dairy production capacity, milk utilization, food processing efficiency, agricultural output, and the competitiveness of Australia's dairy sector. It also supports analysis of production trends, market performance, and the contribution of cheese manufacturing to the country's agri-food economy. Based on the validated data, Australia's cheese production remained relatively stable during the initial years, increasing marginally from 344.14 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 344.26 thousand tonnes in 2016, before declining to 336.74 thousand tonnes in 2017. Production recovered to 377.00 thousand tonnes in 2018 and increased further to 381.00 thousand tonnes in 2019. Output eased to 371.13 thousand tonnes in 2020 and 366.20 thousand tonnes in 2021, before rising sharply to a period high of 426.46 thousand tonnes in 2022. Production moderated to 374.81 thousand tonnes in 2023, remaining above the levels recorded during the early years of the study period. The overall trend reflects moderate long-term growth accompanied by annual fluctuations, highlighting the resilience of Australia's dairy processing industry. Overall, the dataset provides valuable insights into Australia's cheese production trends, dairy manufacturing performance, and long-term industry development. It enables year-over-year trend analysis, international benchmarking of cheese production, evaluation of processing efficiency, and assessment of agricultural value addition across the dairy supply chain. Policymakers, dairy producers, processors, exporters, investors, market analysts, and researchers can utilize the dataset to monitor production performance, identify market opportunities, forecast future cheese output, evaluate industry competitiveness, strengthen supply chain resilience, encourage innovation, support sustainable dairy production, and promote long-term growth across Australia'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).
Australia Cheese Production was 374.8 Thousand Tonnes in 2023, down 12.1% on 2022.
Australia Cheese Production moved from 344.1 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 374.8 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 (+8.9%), an average of +1.1% a year. The series high was 426.5 Thousand Tonnes in 2022 and the low 336.7 Thousand Tonnes in 2017.
The highest value was 426.5 Thousand Tonnes in 2022 and the lowest was 336.7 Thousand Tonnes in 2017.
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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