– Cheese Production refers to the total quantity of cheese produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes.
France Cheese Production was 2,216 Thousand Tonnes in 2023, down 0.4% on 2022. The France 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.
France Cheese Production moved from 2,338 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 2,216 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 (−5.2%), an average of −0.7% a year. The series high was 2,338 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 and the low 2,216 Thousand Tonnes in 2023.
The gap between the series high (2015) and low (2023) is 122.7 Thousand Tonnes. The sharpest single-year move was −3.2% in 2020.
Among the 30 countries in this dataset, France ranks 3 for 2023, behind U.S. (6,628 Thousand Tonnes) and Germany (3,042 Thousand Tonnes). It accounts for 8.1% 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 Trough | 2,216 | −0.4% |
| 2022 | 2,224 | −0.3% |
| 2021 | 2,232 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 2,218 | −3.2% |
| 2019 | 2,290 | −0.7% |
| 2018 | 2,305 | −0.5% |
| 2017 | 2,316 | −0.6% |
| 2016 | 2,330 | −0.4% |
| 2015Peak | 2,338 | — |
Regional context
Cheese Production by country, 2023, Thousand Tonnes. France 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 Million Tonnes, the dataset serves as a valuable benchmark for evaluating dairy production capacity, milk utilization, food processing efficiency, agricultural output, and the long-term performance of France's cheese industry. It also supports analysis of production trends, market dynamics, and the contribution of cheese manufacturing to the country's agri-food sector. Based on the validated data, France's cheese production followed a gradual downward trend during the study period. Production declined slightly from 2.34 million tonnes in 2015 to 2.33 million tonnes in 2016, 2.32 million tonnes in 2017, and 2.31 million tonnes in 2018. Output decreased further to 2.29 million tonnes in 2019 and reached 2.22 million tonnes in 2020. Production recovered marginally to 2.23 million tonnes in 2021 before easing to 2.22 million tonnes in both 2022 and 2023, indicating that output stabilized at a lower level during the final years of the period. Despite the moderate decline, France maintained consistently high production, reflecting the strength of its well-established dairy industry and globally recognized cheese manufacturing sector. Overall, the dataset offers valuable insights into France'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 value chain. Policymakers, dairy producers, processors, exporters, investors, market analysts, and researchers can leverage the dataset to monitor production performance, assess industry competitiveness, identify market opportunities, forecast future cheese output, strengthen supply chain resilience, encourage innovation, support sustainable dairy production, and promote long-term growth across France'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).
France Cheese Production was 2,216 Thousand Tonnes in 2023, down 0.4% on 2022.
France Cheese Production moved from 2,338 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 2,216 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 (−5.2%), an average of −0.7% a year. The series high was 2,338 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 and the low 2,216 Thousand Tonnes in 2023.
The highest value was 2,338 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 and the lowest was 2,216 Thousand Tonnes in 2023.
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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