Dutch drinking less coffee

Coffee consumption in the Netherlands has fallen by 13 percent since 1996, to an average 3.2 cups per person per day in 2006. In spite of this, the Dutch still drink more coffee than many other countries. Scandinavians are the world’s greatest coffee drinkers.

Coffee most popular beverage

The Dutch population consumed 6.9 kilos of coffee per person in 2006. This is the equivalent of 3.2 cups of coffee per day. In 1996 this was still 3.6 cups. Consumption fell steadily to 2003, but has been fairly stable since then.
Between 1996 and 2006 the consumption of tea, soft drinks, mineral water and wine increased. However coffee is still the most drunk beverage in 2006. Tea came second, with 100 litres per person.

Consumption of various beverages

Scandinavians drink most coffee

The Dutch drink a lot of coffee, but are not the greatest coffee drinkers. The Scandinavian countries have almost always drunk the most coffee per person. On average, Scandinavians drank 4.3 cups of coffee a day in the period 2002–2006. The Fins topped the rankings, with 5.4 cups a day. In Belgium/Luxembourg and Switzerland, too, consumption was higher than in the Netherlands. 

Coffee consumption per person per day, 2002/2006

Coffee less popular in eastern and southern Europe

In the period 2002–2006 the daily dose of coffee in the European Union was exactly one cup lower than in the Netherlands. People in eastern Europe in particular, do not drink much coffee. In southern Europe, too,  coffee consumption is far lower than in the Netherlands, at 1.9 cups a day. In these countries mineral water is a very popular drink. The British, on the other hand, are mainly tea drinkers. They drink only 1.2 cups of coffee a day.

Outside Europe coffee is significantly less popular, although in the United States and Canada daily consumption is near to European levels. Interestingly, in the countries that produce coffee, consumption is less than one cup a day, with the exception of Brazil and Costa Rica.

Margot de Bontridder