Switzerland cheese market

Switzerland has the highest per capita cheese consumption of the 48 markets in the database, at around 23 kg per person. Zenith puts consumption at more than 210,000 tonnes in 2025.

Zenith expects consumption to grow by more than 1% a year to 2030, passing 220,000 tonnes.

Switzerland trades heavily in both directions. It exports close to two fifths of its production, led by emmental and gruyère, and imports cover a similar share of consumption, much of it from the EU. At home, fresh cheese and Swiss speciality cheeses account for most consumption.

The Zenith Global Cheese Database 2026 covers Switzerland with production, imports, exports and consumption for 39 cheese types, actuals from 2020 to 2025 and forecasts to 2030. Volume data covers totals, broad categories and separately measured cheese types, in tonnes. Consumer retail value covers total cheese only, in local currency and USD; import and export trade values cover HS 0406 total only, in USD. Monetary values are not broken down by individual cheese type or broad category. Retail shelf prices cover total cheese and five broad categories: hard and semi-hard, fresh, mould, processed, and other non-specified cheese, in local currency/kg and USD/kg, not individual prices for all 39 cheese types. Import and export unit prices cover HS 0406 total and available HS subheadings, in USD/kg. Retail value is estimated retail volume multiplied by regular shelf prices, including sales tax. Trade values are customs values, using CIF for imports and FOB for exports. Production is measured as formally manufactured cheese.