Which are the countries that produce the most olives in the world?
Whether you eat them on a pizza or just as an appetizer with cheese and wine, you can’t deny their magnificence. People are either crazy for olives, or they don’t like them at all. There is no middle ground – no “eating them and not enjoying”. Olives are truly an amazing fruit.
Yes, even though they are usually thought of as a very tasty vegetable, olives are actually classified as fruits belonging to the Olea europaea tree. Olive trees can live very long, more than a century. And the oldest one known, according to estimates, Olive Tree of Vouves, is old between 3,500-5,000 years. It lives in Crete, Greece, and still produces olives. Next to this ancient tree, which is an attraction by itself, is a beautiful Olive Tree Museum of Vouves. Olea europaea is native to the Mediterranean, Asia and Africa, and it requires a Mediterranean-like climate, meaning long, hot summers, and mild winters. Those olive trees that survive in other areas that don’t provide this kind of weather, usually don’t produce enough crops. Hence, naturally, all of the countries that produce the most olives in the world must be from the Mediterranean zone. But, surprisingly, not all of them are also among the countries that make the best olive oil in the world.
If you didn’t know, consuming both olives and olive oil is great for our health. Some of the benefits that we get from consuming this Mediterranean fruit are: great skin and hair, good cancer prevention, healthy heart and great effect on our cardiovascular system. It is no secret that olives contain a lot of fat, but that fat is a monounsaturated fatty acid that is actually good for our health. Eating this kind of fat will help raise your good cholesterol and lower your bad cholesterol. Don’t worry about gaining weight when consuming olives, as it turns out – they can help you lose weight. How is that possible? Well, according to a research, people more easily feel full when consuming olive oil and olives, because they are raising the levels of satiety hormone serotonin in their blood. So, yes, eating this amazing fatty fruit can help you lose weight with many other health benefits in addition. Olives are rich in copper, vitamin E, iron, and fiber.
Contrary to the popular belief black, purple and green olives are not the olives of a different kind. Their color only indicates their state of ripeness. Simply, the darker the olive, the riper it is.
And do you know why is olive branch considered a symbol of peace? Well, there are many stories, explaining this. One of them is, known to many, comes from the Bible. When the great flood happened, Noah sent the dove in a search of a land. The dove returned with the olive leaf that was indicating a land nearby, also symbolizing God’s mercy because he was ending his war on mankind. Another story says that an olive branch became a symbol of peace because olive trees can’t be cultivated during the war times, due to their slow growth. Hence, they are peace-time trees. Whatever reason it is behind this symbolism, one can’t deny the power olive tree has, as it was also recognized by the ancient Greeks who were using the olive wreath as the prize for the winner of the Ancient Olympic Games.
In order to find out who dominates in the olive production world, we’ve used statistic data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Even though only the statistics from 2013 are available, chances are nothing much has changed since then, because these are the countries who have always been at the top when it comes to olive production.
8. Algeria
Production: 578,740 tonnes
We start this list of countries that produce the most olives in the world with a North African country called the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria. Two regions in Algeria, Sig and Bejaia, are responsible for its high olive production, and hence, for its placement on this list.
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7. The Syrian Arab Republic
Production: 842,098 tonnes
Even though Syria doesn’t seem like a country that has a safe environment for any industry, at the moment, somehow they seem to manage it. Moreover, they are actually trying to increase their olive oil production each year.
6. Tunisia
Production: 1,100,000 tonnes
With a history of oil production old around 3,000 years, it is only natural to see Tunisia on this list. Unfortunately, according to a report, its olive production in future is in question because of serious climate changes.
5. Morocco
Production: 1,181,675 tonnes
Since olive production stands for 5 % of Morocco’s gross domestic product, they are really putting an effort to improve this industry even more. Who knows, maybe in a few years, they’ll be placed even higher among the countries that produce the most olives in the world.
4. Turkey
Production: 1,676,000 tonnes
Everyone who is a little bit familiar with the Turkish cuisine knows how olives and olive oil play an important role in it. Hence, it comes as no surprise that Turkey has such a big production of olives.
3. Greece
Production: 1,917,623 tonnes
Probably everyone was expecting to see Greece on this list of countries that produce the most olives in the world. Just a slice of Feta cheese and a couple of Greek olives, and there you have it – healthy and heavenly meal.
2. Italy
Production: 2,940,545 tonnes
Country of pizza and pasta, culture and art, Italy, is also one of the biggest producers of olives. After all, pizza is not a pizza without a few olives and a lot of oregano.
1. Spain
Production: 9,250,000 tonnes
The country that produces the most olives in the world and also makes some of the best olive oils, is Spain. As you can see from the numbers, no other country can even come close to Spain’s olive production.
