Did you know that if you live in one of the 11 countries that consume the most chocolate in the world, you have a higher chance of winning a Nobel Prize? There’s even a study published in New England Journal of Medicine that proved a strong correlation between the amount of chocolate consumed per capita and the number of Nobel Prize winners. Correlation doesn’t imply causation of course, but there’s too much positive data to just dismiss this connection as coincidence. If causation does exist, there are two possibilities. Either consuming chocolate leads to such a drastic improvement in cognitive abilities that it can boost a nation’s overall scientific output, or higher levels of intelligence lead to an increased craving for chocolate. But even the author of the study, Franz Messerli, MD, from Columbia University, says that further research is needed to determine the true causes of this correlation.
Chocolate was introduced in Europe from Americas by Spaniards in the 17th century. Ironically, there isn’t a single country from either Central or South America. In fact, 4 of top 5 cocoa producers (Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameron) are from Africa, where chocolate was brought in 19th century and quickly spread to form a backbone of these countries’ exports.
Similar to the list of 11 countries that consume the most milk, there aren’t any Asian countries on this list as well. What’s more, all 11 countries that consume the most chocolate in the world are from Europe, while Australia, Canada and the United States get an honorable mention. With chocolate being considered a luxury item and taxed as such, it makes sense that it is most consumed in countries with the high standard of living. Still, with the consumption on the rise, it is only matter of time before the rest of the world catches up with Europe and gain a spot on the list of 11 countries that consume the most chocolate in the world.
