– Cheese Production refers to the total quantity of cheese produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes.
China Cheese Production was 232.5 Thousand Tonnes in 2023, up 3% on 2022. The China Cheese Production dataset provides a comprehensive assessment of the country's cheese manufacturing performance and the development of its dairy processing industry between 2015 and 2023.
China Cheese Production moved from 187.4 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 232.5 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 (+24.1%), an average of +2.7% a year. The series high was 232.5 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 and the low 184.5 Thousand Tonnes in 2017.
The gap between the series high (2023) and low (2017) is 48.00 Thousand Tonnes. The sharpest single-year move was +6.4% in 2020.
Among the 30 countries in this dataset, China ranks 16 for 2023, behind U.S. (6,628 Thousand Tonnes) and Germany (3,042 Thousand Tonnes). It accounts for 0.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2023Peak | 232.5 | +3% |
| 2022 | 225.8 | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 216.2 | +5% |
| 2020 | 205.9 | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 193.5 | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 186.3 | +1% |
| 2017 Trough | 184.5 | −0.8% |
| 2016 | 185.9 | −0.8% |
| 2015 | 187.4 | — |
Regional context
Cheese Production by country, 2023, Thousand Tonnes. China 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 an important benchmark for evaluating dairy production capacity, milk utilization, food processing efficiency, agricultural output, and the growing role of cheese within China's dairy sector. It also supports analysis of production trends, market expansion, and the industry's contribution to the country's agri-food economy. Based on the validated data, China's cheese production remained relatively stable during the initial years, declining slightly from 187.37 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 185.89 thousand tonnes in 2016 and 184.46 thousand tonnes in 2017. Production recovered to 186.26 thousand tonnes in 2018 before increasing steadily to 193.48 thousand tonnes in 2019 and 205.88 thousand tonnes in 2020. The upward trend continued with output reaching 216.17 thousand tonnes in 2021, 225.79 thousand tonnes in 2022, and a series high of 232.46 thousand tonnes in 2023. The sustained growth during the latter half of the study period reflects expanding dairy processing capacity, rising consumer acceptance of cheese products, and continued investment in China's dairy industry. Overall, the dataset provides valuable insights into China's cheese production trends, manufacturing performance, and long-term dairy sector 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 leverage the dataset to monitor production performance, identify growth opportunities, forecast future cheese output, assess industry competitiveness, strengthen supply chain resilience, encourage technological innovation, support sustainable dairy production, and promote long-term growth across China'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).
China Cheese Production was 232.5 Thousand Tonnes in 2023, up 3% on 2022.
China Cheese Production moved from 187.4 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 232.5 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 (+24.1%), an average of +2.7% a year. The series high was 232.5 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 and the low 184.5 Thousand Tonnes in 2017.
The highest value was 232.5 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 and the lowest was 184.5 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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