Sugar consumption in Asia

How much sugar do people in Asia consume?

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Sugar provides quick energy in the form of glucose, which is used by the body for immediate use or stored for later use. It also contributes to the taste of food and drinks. However, consuming too much sugar can lead to a range of negative health effects, such as weight gain, increased risk of tooth decay and elevated blood sugar levels, which can increase the risk of developing certain chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes.

Although Europeans and North Americans are some of the biggest consumers of sugar in the world, there are some Asian countries, in particular in the Middle East, that are also some of the biggest consumers of sugar worldwide.

Bahrain (44.3 kg) has the highest per capita sugar consumption in Asia and one of the highest in the world. Lebanon (43.4 kg) and Malaysia (41.6 kg) are the only other Asian countries where the sugar consumption is over 40 kilograms per capita.

The lowest numbers can be found in Myanmar (2.9 kg), North Korea (4.5 kg) and Bangladesh (6.3 kg).

The data for this map comes from the FAO. The data includes not only raw sugar, but also the sugar content of products that contain sugar.