How many donut get eaten each year?

Answer 1

Interesting you should ask this question. Would you believe I found 2 books written on the subject of the lowly donut! So you aren't the only person pondering this subject.

Not sure how accurate this fact is, but according to The Donut Book: The Whole Story in Words, Pictures & Outrageous Tales, published in 2005 in the US alone over 10 Billion donuts are consumed every year. This translates into roughly $2 Billion dollars worth of tasty treats being sold each year.

Not sure about donut consumption elsewhere in the world. I know Canada is the donut capital of the world with an estimated 3,200 donut stores nationwide and Canadians have the highest per capita consumption of donuts on Earth. It has jokingly been refered to as Canada's national food. In Jan 2008 The Donut: A Canadian History was published. It was written by a University of Toronto history professor. Canada's estimated donut consumption is put around 1 billion.

So in the race for donut supremecy (I know this isn't what you asked, but hey, it's such a fun question I can't help but digress) in sheer numbers, the US wins, but in per capita consumption (this means the average number of donuts eaten spread out over a population) Canada comes out tops because Canada has a significantly smaller population base. Hmmmm... not sure this is something to be boasting, about on second thought.

I couldn't find statistics for other countries. Hopefully someone can contribute them.