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Agriculture๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ Switzerland

Switzerland Cheese Production

โ€“ Cheese Production refers to the total quantity of cheese produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes.

Switzerland Cheese ProductionThousand Tonnes ยท 2015โ€“2023

2302202102002015: 209.32016: 205.6Trough2017: 208.32018: 2112019: 214.42020: 223.62021: 225.8Peak2022: 219.82023: 216.420152017201920212023
Source: Our World in DataLast updated: July 2026

What Switzerland Cheese Production shows

Switzerland Cheese Production was 216.4 Thousand Tonnes in 2023, down 1.5% on 2022. The Switzerland 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.

Trend

Higher over the period

Switzerland Cheese Production moved from 209.3 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 216.4 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 (+3.4%), an average of +0.4% a year. The series high was 225.8 Thousand Tonnes in 2021 and the low 205.6 Thousand Tonnes in 2016.

Volatility

A 8.9% peak-to-trough swing

The gap between the series high (2021) and low (2016) is 20.19 Thousand Tonnes. The sharpest single-year move was +4.3% in 2020.

Structure

Ranks 17 of 30 countries covered

Among the 30 countries in this dataset, Switzerland ranks 17 for 2023, behind U.S. (6,628 Thousand Tonnes) and Germany (3,042 Thousand Tonnes). It accounts for 0.8% of the global total in 2023.

Full series

Switzerland Cheese Production by year

Complete annual series with year-on-year change. Values are reported in Thousand Tonnes.

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Switzerland Cheese Production, 2015โ€“2023, Thousand Tonnes.
YearThousand TonnesChange vs prior year
2023 216.4 โˆ’1.5%
2022 219.8 โˆ’2.7%
2021Peak 225.8 +1%
2020 223.6 +4.3%
2019 214.4 +1.6%
2018 211 +1.3%
2017 208.3 +1.3%
2016 Trough205.6 โˆ’1.7%
2015 209.3 โ€”

Regional context

How Switzerland compares in Europe

Cheese Production by country, 2023, Thousand Tonnes. Switzerland is highlighted.

1Germany
3,042
2France
2,216
3Italy
1,344
4Poland
1,064
5Netherlands
1,019
6Spain
535.9
7UK
509.9
9Switzerland
216.4

Data definition

Inclusions and exclusions

Cheese Production โ€” โ€“ 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).

Inclusions

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.

Exclusions

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.

About this indicator

Cheese Production โ€” โ€“ 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 long-term development of Switzerland's dairy sector. It also supports analysis of production trends, market dynamics, and industry competitiveness. Based on the validated data, Switzerland's cheese production remained relatively stable while exhibiting moderate long-term growth throughout the study period. Production declined slightly from 209.25 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 205.64 thousand tonnes in 2016, before recovering to 208.31 thousand tonnes in 2017 and 211.03 thousand tonnes in 2018. Output continued to increase to 214.40 thousand tonnes in 2019, 223.63 thousand tonnes in 2020, and reached a series high of 225.83 thousand tonnes in 2021. Production then moderated to 219.79 thousand tonnes in 2022 and 216.42 thousand tonnes in 2023, while remaining above the levels recorded during the early years of the study period. The overall trend reflects the stability and resilience of Switzerland's well-established dairy processing industry despite moderate annual fluctuations. Overall, the dataset provides valuable insights into Switzerland'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 leverage the dataset to monitor production performance, identify market 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 Switzerland's dairy industry.

Indicator
Cheese Production
Country
Switzerland
Region
Europe
Unit
Thousand Tonnes
Coverage
2015โ€“2023, annual
Category
Agriculture
Last updated
July 2026
Source
Our World in Data

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Frequently asked questions

What is Switzerland Cheese Production?

Definition โ€“ 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).

What was Switzerland Cheese Production in 2023?

Switzerland Cheese Production was 216.4 Thousand Tonnes in 2023, down 1.5% on 2022.

How has Switzerland Cheese Production changed between 2015 and 2023?

Switzerland Cheese Production moved from 209.3 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 216.4 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 (+3.4%), an average of +0.4% a year. The series high was 225.8 Thousand Tonnes in 2021 and the low 205.6 Thousand Tonnes in 2016.

Which year had the highest and lowest Switzerland Cheese Production?

The highest value was 225.8 Thousand Tonnes in 2021 and the lowest was 205.6 Thousand Tonnes in 2016.

What does the Switzerland Cheese Production data include and exclude?

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.

Where does the Switzerland Cheese Production data come from?

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 2015โ€“2023 and is reported in Thousand Tonnes.

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