The Country That Drinks The Most Coffee Per Person Doesn't Even Grow It

It's hard not to have confirmation bias when trying to figure out the country that drinks the most coffee; Ethiopia is often credited with inventing coffee, Italy is known for its espresso culture, Amsterdam is beloved for its cafes, and even America has a loud and proud obsession with Starbucks. But the place that actually drinks the most coffee per person is a teeny, tiny country sandwiched between France, Belgium, and Germany. According to World Population Review, an independent for-profit focused on making population and demographic data more accessible to the masses, Luxembourg drinks 25.34 kilograms (55.89 pounds) of coffee per person a year. The second country on the list is the Maldives, which consumes 22.32 kilograms (49.21 pounds) per person. 

For a country with a population size around that of Vermont, it's pretty impressive that Luxembourg can put away that much coffee. Like most of Europe, Luxembourg has a strong cafe culture, with independent coffee shops at the front and center of local communities. Because of Luxembourg's proximity to Germany and France, you'll find a lot of influences from these two countries in everything from the food to the language. But Luxembourg also has a big Italian influence, due to the influx of Italians who arrived to join the workforce in the late 1800s. Along with the French, Italians have spread their deeply rooted love of coffee to the world and have even had a long-lasting impact on American coffeehouses.

The fact that Luxembourg doesn't grow coffee but still manages to consume more than any other country is mighty impressive. Walk into any of the 700-plus pubs, bars, and coffee shops in the tiny country (as a reminder, Luxembourg's population size is a little under 680,000, which roughly makes one drinking establishment per 1,000 people), and their coffee obsession becomes instantly clear. Luxembourg's Old Town, in the heart of the city, features specialty coffee shops roasting beans in-house from Peru, Brazil, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and India — many of the absolute best countries for growing top-quality coffee beans.

Unlike typical U.S. coffee chains, Luxembourg also has a smattering of cafes that offer alcohol along with their coffee drinks — which not only helps expand their customer demographic but also contributes to the lounge-like atmosphere of the shops. To gather its coffee consumption data, the World Population Review used metrics and measurements from the International Coffee Organization (ISO), a one-of-a-kind intergovernmental organization created to promote and focus on everything coffee. Another metric that the ISO tracks is coffee intake, which is measured by the total volume of coffee bean consumption. 

According to the ISO, from 2020 to 2021, the United States consumed the most 60-pound bags of dry coffee beans of any country at around 27 million 60-pound bags. Not only is coffee one of the oldest commodities in the world, but it's also one of the most traded, second only to oil. It makes sense that the stuff that fuels people and the stuff that fuels machines makes it to the top of the trades list. If all this reading about coffee has made you want to make a cup of your own, check out this ranking of the 31 most popular coffee brands before you brew.