Lactose Intolerance by Country 2022

Dyspepsia due to failure to digest lactose is known as lactose intolerance. A person afflicted with lactose intolerance is unable to produce enough lactase, the enzyme required for the digestion of lactose. Dairy products’ primary carbohydrate is lactose.




There are two ways that lactose intolerance may begin: either at birth or later in life if the person has never had an issue before.

Infants with lactose intolerance due to a mutation in the LCT gene are permanently intolerant to lactose. As a person matures, their capacity to digest lactose diminishes, resulting in a condition known as lactose intolerance.

According to recent estimates, almost 65% of adults worldwide suffer from lactose intolerance of some kind. Millions of individuals in the United States suffer from this condition.

Lactose intolerance is normally innocuous, although its symptoms may be excruciatingly difficult to deal with bloating, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and gas are some of the signs and symptoms of lactose intolerance that develop after ingesting lactose or dairy products.

Lactose intolerance symptoms are caused by malabsorption of lactose. Lactose malabsorption does not always result in stomach discomfort following lactose consumption. Lactose intolerance can only be diagnosed in persons who are experiencing symptoms.




Lactose-free goods, lactase supplements (such as Lactaid), and avoiding dairy are all options for those with the illness. There is no cure for this disease, however, medication may help manage the symptoms and lessen their severity.

Those who are lactose intolerant and have to avoid dairy products face the danger of not getting enough nutrients, particularly calcium and vitamin D, from their diet.

Osteoporosis, a disorder in which one’s bones grow brittle and more prone to shatter, may be caused by a lack of calcium. Lactose intolerance doesn’t have to mean compromising nutrition, according to the NIDDK, the national institute for diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases.

Worldwide Lactose Intolerance

If you’re from a country where lactose malabsorption is frequent, you’re more likely to suffer from lactose intolerance in the United States. American Indian, Asian American, and Hispanic/Latino people are more prone than others to suffer from lactose malabsorption. 




Approximately 70% to 100% of individuals in East Asian nations have lactose intolerance; in Northern and Central Europe, only about 5% of the population has lactose intolerance, making it the most prevalent lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance is more common in the following 10 nations than in any other country.

  1. Ghana – 100%
  2. Malawi – 100%
  3. South Korea – 100%
  4. Yemen – 100%
  5. Solomon Islands – 99%
  6. Armenia – 98%
  7. Vietnam – 98%
  8. Zambia – 98%
  9. Azerbaijan – 96%
  10. Oman – 96%




Also See: Infant Mortality Rate by Country 2022

There is the lowest incidence of lactose intolerance in the following 10 countries:

  1. Denmark – 4%
  2. Ireland – 4%
  3. Sweden – 7%
  4. United Kingdom – 8%
  5. New Zealand – 10%
  6. Netherlands – 12%
  7. Norway – 12%
  8. Niger – 13%
  9. Belgium – 15%
  10. Cyprus – 16%




Country2022 Population
China1448471.4000
India1406631.7760
United States334805.2690
Indonesia279134.5050
Pakistan229488.9940
Nigeria216746.9340
Brazil215353.5930
Bangladesh167885.6890
Russia145805.9470
Mexico131562.7720
Japan125584.8380
Ethiopia120812.6980
Philippines112508.9940
Egypt106156.6920
Vietnam98953.5410
DR Congo95240.7920
Iran86022.8370
Turkey85561.9760
Germany83883.5960
Thailand70078.2030
United Kingdom68497.9070
France65584.5180
Tanzania63298.5500
South Africa60756.1350
Italy60262.7700
Kenya56215.2210
Myanmar55227.1430
Colombia51512.7620
South Korea51329.8990
Uganda48432.8630
Spain46719.1420
Argentina46010.2340
Sudan45992.0200
Algeria45350.1480
Ukraine43192.1220
Iraq42164.9650
Afghanistan40754.3880
Canada38388.4190
Morocco37772.7560
Poland37739.7850
Saudi Arabia35844.9090
Angola35027.3430
Uzbekistan34382.0840
Peru33684.2080
Malaysia33181.0720
Mozambique33089.4610
Ghana32395.4500
Yemen31154.8670
Nepal30225.5820
Venezuela29266.9910
Madagascar29178.0770
Cameroon27911.5480
Ivory Coast27742.2980
Niger26083.6600
Australia26068.7920
North Korea25990.6790
Taiwan23888.5950
Burkina Faso22102.8380
Sri Lanka21575.8420
Mali21473.7640
Malawi20180.8390
Zambia19470.2340
Syria19364.8090
Chile19250.1950
Kazakhstan19205.0430
Romania19031.3350
Guatemala18584.0390
Ecuador18113.3610
Senegal17653.6710
Chad17413.5800
Netherlands17211.4470
Cambodia17168.6390
Somalia16841.7950
Zimbabwe15331.4280
Guinea13865.6910
Rwanda13600.4640
Benin12784.7260
Burundi12624.8400
Tunisia12046.6560
Bolivia11992.6560
Haiti11680.2830
Belgium11668.2780
South Sudan11618.5110
Cuba11305.6520
Dominican Republic11056.3700
Czech Republic10736.7840
Greece10316.6370
Jordan10300.8690
Azerbaijan10300.2050
Honduras10221.2470
Sweden10218.9710
Portugal10140.5700
United Arab Emirates10081.7850
Tajikistan9957.4640
Hungary9606.2590
Belarus9432.8000
Papua New Guinea9292.1690
Austria9066.7100
Israel8922.8920
Switzerland8773.6370
Togo8680.8370
Serbia8653.0160
Sierra Leone8306.4360
Hong Kong7604.2990
Laos7481.0230
Paraguay7305.8430
Libya7040.7450
Bulgaria6844.5970
Nicaragua6779.1000
Kyrgyzstan6728.2710
Lebanon6684.8490
El Salvador6550.3890
Turkmenistan6201.9430
Singapore5943.5460
Denmark5834.9500
Republic of the Congo5797.8050
Finland5554.9600
Norway5511.3700
Slovakia5460.1930
Palestine5345.5410
Oman5323.9930
Liberia5305.1170
Costa Rica5182.3540
Ireland5020.1990
Central African Republic5016.6780
Mauritania4901.9810
New Zealand4898.2030
Panama4446.9640
Kuwait4380.3260
Croatia4059.2860
Moldova4013.1710
Georgia3968.7380
Eritrea3662.2440
Uruguay3496.0160
Mongolia3378.0780
Bosnia and Herzegovina3249.3170
Jamaica2985.0940
Qatar2979.9150
Armenia2971.9660
Albania2866.3740
Puerto Rico2829.8120
Lithuania2661.7080
Namibia2633.8740
Gambia2558.4820
Botswana2441.1620
Gabon2331.5330
Lesotho2175.6990
North Macedonia2081.3040
Slovenia2078.0340
Guinea-Bissau2063.3670
Latvia1848.8370
Bahrain1783.9830
Equatorial Guinea1496.6620
Trinidad and Tobago1406.5850
Timor-Leste1369.4290
Estonia1321.9100
Mauritius1274.7270
Cyprus1223.3870
Eswatini1184.8170
Djibouti1016.0970
Fiji909.4660
Reunion908.0610
Comoros907.4190
Guyana794.0450
Bhutan787.9410
Solomon Islands721.1590
Macau667.4900
Luxembourg642.3710
Montenegro627.9500
Western Sahara626.1610
Suriname596.8310
Cape Verde567.6780
Maldives540.9850
Brunei445.4310
Malta444.0330
Belize412.1900
Bahamas400.5160
Guadeloupe399.7940
Martinique374.0870
Iceland345.3930
Vanuatu321.8320
French Guiana314.1690
New Caledonia290.9150
Barbados288.0230
Mayotte286.2590
French Polynesia284.1640
Sao Tome and Principe227.6790
Samoa202.2390
Saint Lucia185.1130
Guam171.5190
Curacao165.5290
Kiribati123.4190
Micronesia117.4890
Grenada113.4750
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines111.5510
Tonga107.7490
Aruba107.6090
United States Virgin Islands103.9710
Antigua and Barbuda99.5090
Seychelles99.4260
Isle of Man85.7320
Andorra77.4630
Dominica72.3440
Cayman Islands67.2770
Bermuda61.9390
Marshall Islands60.0570
Northern Mariana Islands58.2690
Greenland56.9730
American Samoa55.0300
Saint Kitts and Nevis53.8710
Faroe Islands49.2330
Sint Maarten43.9660
Monaco39.7830
Turks and Caicos Islands39.7410
Saint Martin39.7300
Liechtenstein38.3870
San Marino34.0850
Gibraltar33.7040
British Virgin Islands30.5960
Palau18.2330
Cook Islands17.5710
Anguilla15.2300
Tuvalu12.0660
Wallis and Futuna10.9820
Nauru10.9030
Saint Barthelemy9.9450
Saint Pierre and Miquelon5.7590
Montserrat4.9650
Falkland Islands3.5390
Niue1.6220
Tokelau1.3780
Vatican City0.7990




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