Ukrainians have ranked first in the world in vegetable consumption

Ukraine, China, and Turkey are among the top three countries with the highest level of vegetable consumption per capita in 2024. According to analysts from the EastFruit project, vegetable consumption in Ukraine reached 653 kg per person.

Overall, in 2024, vegetable consumption decreased by 0.6% to 1,519 million tons for the first time since 2016, thus ending a seven-year growth trend. In 2023, it reached a maximum volume of 1,527 million tons. At the same time, the size of the global vegetable market was $1,374.1 billion in 2024, remaining stable compared to the previous year. This figure reflects the total revenue of producers and importers. China (693 million tons) became the country with the largest total vegetable consumption, accounting for about 46% of the total global volume. Meanwhile, vegetable consumption in China exceeded that recorded by the second-largest consumer, India (195 million tons), by four times. The United States ranked third in this rating (52 million tons) with a share of 3.4%. It is expected that due to the growing demand for vegetables worldwide, the market will continue the trend of increasing consumption over the next six years. In addition to Ukraine, the countries with the highest levels of vegetable consumption per capita in 2024 were China (486 kg per person) and Turkey (353 kg per person).

Additionally, Ukraine surpassed Spain and entered the top 10 of the global ranking of fruit and vegetable producers. According to statistics from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the top ten fruit and vegetable producing countries included China, India, the USA, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Indonesia, Egypt, and Ukraine itself.

It is worth noting that at the beginning of 2025, prices for most types of vegetables and fruits in the Ukrainian market increased. However, there were also some items for which prices decreased. Among the champions in terms of price growth in 2024 were cabbage, carrots, and apples. In particular, cabbage prices tripled and more over the year due to reduced production volumes and low-quality products. Wholesale prices for carrots increased nearly 2.6 times, reaching 26 UAH per kg as of early January 2025. In contrast, apples increased on average by 79% and are currently sold wholesale for 25 – 28 UAH per kg. Premium quality apples are sold at significantly higher prices.