At a glance
Cuisine preference data shows a clear pattern: the share of people who like a cuisine can vary a lot by country, even when the cuisine itself is the same.
The figures below are drawn only from the matched statistics row set, which combines YouGov Global Cuisine Survey results from 2018 with Japan restaurant market figures from USDA FAS Japan HRI Annual 2025.
- Thai cuisine is strongest in Great Britain at 84% among people who have ever eaten it (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
- Mexican cuisine is especially well liked in Norway at 84% and in the U.S. at 86% among people who have ever eaten it (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
- Japanese cuisine reaches 91% approval in the U.S. among people who have ever eaten it (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
- Japan’s 2024 restaurant total reached JPA 9,547.0 billion, up 5.9% year over year (USDA FAS Japan HRI Annual 2025).
- Asian & Ethnic style sales accounted for JPA 1,464.2 billion, or 15.3% of restaurant sales in Japan in 2024 (USDA FAS Japan HRI Annual 2025).
Contents
- How to read these cuisine statistics
- Thai cuisine by country
- Vietnamese cuisine by country
- Japanese cuisine by country
- Mexican cuisine by country
- Japan restaurant market context
- What the data says overall
How to read these cuisine statistics
These statistics are best treated as preference snapshots rather than universal ratings.
Each survey result reflects people in a specific country who had ever eaten the cuisine in question, then said whether they liked it (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018). That means the numbers are useful for comparing relative reception across markets, but not for measuring total population demand.
The Japan market figures are different in kind. They describe restaurant sales values and market share, not liking or approval scores, so they are useful for economic context rather than preference sentiment (USDA FAS Japan HRI Annual 2025).
Thai cuisine by country
Thai cuisine stands out for consistently strong approval across the surveyed markets. The highest score in the set is Great Britain at 84%, while the lowest is Spain at 52% (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018). That 32-point spread is meaningful, but the bigger point is that all of the listed countries remain above the halfway mark.
Thai cuisine snapshot
| Country | Share who like Thai cuisine |
|---|---|
| Great Britain | 84% |
| Saudi Arabia | 76% |
| Norway | 75% |
| UAE | 71% |
| France | 71% |
| Denmark | 67% |
| Sweden | 67% |
| Germany | 62% |
| Finland | 64% |
| U.S. | 55% |
| Italy | 57% |
| Spain | 52% |
A useful way to read this table is to separate the top tier from the middle. Great Britain, Saudi Arabia, Norway, the UAE, and France all sit at 71% or higher (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018). Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland cluster in the mid-60s, while Italy, the U.S., and Spain are lower but still majority-positive.
What stands out in the Thai results
- Great Britain leads the group at 84% (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
- Saudi Arabia and Norway both land in the mid-70s, showing very strong reception (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
- Spain is the lowest listed market at 52%, but still slightly above even odds (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
For editorial or SEO purposes, Thai cuisine is the clearest example of a broadly liked cuisine with country-level variation that still stays within a high range. That makes it a good benchmark when comparing other cuisines in the same data set.
Vietnamese cuisine by country
Vietnamese cuisine has a wider spread and a lower overall approval profile than Thai cuisine in this data set. France leads the group at 74%, while Saudi Arabia is far lower at 18% (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018). That creates one of the largest gaps in the full statistics set.
Vietnamese cuisine snapshot
| Country | Share who like Vietnamese cuisine |
|---|---|
| France | 74% |
| Germany | 57% |
| Finland | 57% |
| U.S. | 59% |
| Great Britain | 53% |
| Denmark | 63% |
| Sweden | 54% |
| Norway | 56% |
| UAE | 39% |
| Spain | 38% |
| Italy | 36% |
| Saudi Arabia | 18% |
The table shows a clear split between stronger and weaker markets. France, Denmark, the U.S., Germany, Finland, Great Britain, Sweden, and Norway all sit above 50% (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018). Italy, Spain, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia are below 40%, which pushes the median impression down.
What stands out in the Vietnamese results
- France is the strongest market in the list at 74% (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
- Saudi Arabia is the lowest at 18%, far below the rest of the group (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
- The U.S. sits at 59%, which places it above the midpoint but below the strongest European markets (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
If you are comparing cuisines for cross-market appeal, Vietnamese cuisine looks more segmented than Thai cuisine in this dataset. The data suggests it can perform very well in some countries while remaining much less liked in others.
Japanese cuisine by country
Japanese cuisine is the strongest performer in the U.S. data here, with 91% of people who have ever eaten it saying they like it (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018). That is the highest single-country approval figure among the cuisine preference rows provided.
Japanese cuisine snapshot
| Country | Share who like Japanese cuisine |
|---|---|
| U.S. | 91% |
| Italy | 54% |
| Spain | 49% |
| UAE | 75% |
| Saudi Arabia | 66% |
| Great Britain | 70% |
| Germany | 53% |
| France | 56% |
| Denmark | 70% |
| Sweden | 63% |
| Finland | 68% |
| Norway | 68% |
This table contains both very high and moderate results. The U.S. score at 91% is exceptional, but several European markets cluster in the low- to high-60s, with Great Britain and Denmark both at 70% (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018). Italy and Spain are the weakest listed markets, at 54% and 49% respectively.
What stands out in the Japanese results
- The U.S. has the highest Japanese cuisine approval in the data set at 91% (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
- The UAE also scores strongly at 75%, which puts it near the top of the group (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
- Spain is the only listed market below 50%, at 49% (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
Japanese cuisine is the sharpest example in this data of a cuisine with very strong enthusiasm in one market and more moderate support in several others. That makes it especially interesting if you are studying regional food preferences rather than assuming cuisine popularity is uniform.
Mexican cuisine by country
Mexican cuisine is another strong performer, with approval levels that are high across most of the listed countries. Norway leads at 84%, and the U.S. follows closely at 86% (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018). Several other countries also cluster in the high 70s.
Mexican cuisine snapshot
| Country | Share who like Mexican cuisine |
|---|---|
| Norway | 84% |
| U.S. | 86% |
| France | 78% |
| Denmark | 78% |
| Sweden | 77% |
| Italy | 77% |
| Great Britain | 76% |
| UAE | 71% |
| Germany | 71% |
| Spain | 72% |
| Saudi Arabia | 64% |
| Finland | 69% |
The key takeaway is breadth. Unlike Vietnamese cuisine, which has more pronounced low-end results, Mexican cuisine stays comfortably above 64% in every listed country and reaches the 80s in two markets (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
What stands out in the Mexican results
- The U.S. is one of the strongest markets at 86% (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
- Norway reaches 84%, showing that Mexican cuisine is not limited to one region’s food culture (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
- France, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Great Britain, Spain, UAE, Germany, Finland, and Saudi Arabia all remain at 64% or higher (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
In practical terms, this is the most broadly strong cuisine in the set after Japanese cuisine’s U.S. result, because the Mexican scores remain high across many markets instead of peaking in just one or two.
Quick comparison table
When the four cuisines are compared side by side, the distribution becomes easier to see. The table below uses the strongest listed result for each cuisine in the data set.
| Cuisine | Strongest listed country | Highest share who like it |
|---|---|---|
| Thai | Great Britain | 84% |
| Vietnamese | France | 74% |
| Japanese | U.S. | 91% |
| Mexican | U.S. | 86% |
That comparison makes three patterns obvious. First, Japanese cuisine has the single highest approval score in the set. Second, Mexican cuisine is also extremely strong. Third, Thai cuisine is consistently well liked even when it does not hit the very top score.
Japan restaurant market context
The Japan market figures provide a different lens. In 2024, Japan’s total restaurant market reached JPA 9,547.0 billion, up 5.9% year over year (USDA FAS Japan HRI Annual 2025). Within that total, Asian & Ethnic style sales accounted for JPA 1,464.2 billion, equal to a 15.3% share of restaurant sales (USDA FAS Japan HRI Annual 2025).
Market takeaways
- JPA 9,547.0 billion is the total restaurant market figure for 2024 (USDA FAS Japan HRI Annual 2025).
- JPA 1,464.2 billion is the Asian & Ethnic style sales figure inside that market (USDA FAS Japan HRI Annual 2025).
- 15.3% is the stated share of restaurant sales for Asian & Ethnic style cuisine in Japan (USDA FAS Japan HRI Annual 2025).
- The market grew 5.9% year over year, which signals expansion rather than stagnation (USDA FAS Japan HRI Annual 2025).
These figures do not tell you which cuisine is most liked in Japan. What they do show is that ethnic and Asian-style food has a defined, measurable place in the restaurant economy. That matters because restaurant share and consumer approval are related but not identical measures.
What the data says overall
The strongest single fact in the entire set is the 91% Japanese cuisine approval figure in the U.S. (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018). The broadest consistently high profile belongs to Mexican cuisine, which stays strong across almost every listed country (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018). Thai cuisine is also remarkably stable, with every listed country remaining above 50% and several above 70% (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
Vietnamese cuisine is the most uneven of the four. Its range runs from 18% in Saudi Arabia to 74% in France, which indicates much stronger country-by-country variation (YouGov Global Cuisine Survey, 2018).
Taken together, the statistics suggest that cuisine popularity is shaped by local market context, not just the cuisine itself. The same dish can be warmly received in one country and only moderately liked in another, and the country-by-country spread is often as important as the top-line average.