Consumption in importing countries

Most of the statistical material on trends in imports, re-exports and consumption of coffee worldwide is expressed in calendar years, which is largely how data on demand and consumption are reported and analysed by consuming countries and trade bodies. The summary data below are given in coffee years in order to facilitate comparisons with supply data provided elsewhere.  

A straight comparison between the two sets of data is not possible as time lags produce differences between the basic and aggregate figures. To complicate the issue even further, statistics on coffee consumption tend to be misleading as no single set of statistics gives the whole picture. Import statistics, for example, are not a good indicator of consumption as they do not take into account re-exports or changes in the level of stocks held in importing countries. To overcome this the ICO publishes figures on ‘disappearance’ that take these factors into account, but it is still impossible to allow for changes in the level of unreported stocks held by traders, roasters and retailers.  

For countries, which are members of the ICO and for a few non-member countries where the relevant statistics exist, the figures relate to disappearance, whereas for the rest of the non-member countries they relate to net imports. Strictly speaking the two sets of figures are not the same but are close enough to be incorporated in the table below.  

Consumption in importing countries/areas 2005/06 – 2009/10 

*Preliminary