Both production and consumption of olive oil are concentrated in the countries within the Mediterranean basin. The EU is by far the largest olive grower in the world, although only Spain, Italy, Greece, France and Portugal rank high in terms of production.

Outside this area, production is more local and consumption is lower, although markets such as those in the United States, Australia and Canada have seen a dramatic development over the last few years. Even so, olive oil is known and consumed everywhere in the world, even if it be in small amounts or very specific markets. In these circumstances it is mainly consumed by high-income social classes, professionals, fans of the Mediterranean cuisine, ethnic groups of Mediterranean origin and people concerned with dietetics and health.

Olive oil is one of the most representative products of the Spanish food and agricultural export market.

> Spain is the world leader of olive oil production, with an average annual production ranging between 500,000 and 600,000 tons per season.

> Spain is the largest olive producer in the world with over 250 million olive trees covering almost 2.5 million hectares. Its olive-growing area represents over 25% of the olive growing surface in the world.

> Consuming over 11 kg of olive oil per inhabitant and year, Spain is second to Greece and Italy in terms of highest consumption.

> With an annual average export trade over the last 10 years of over 200,000 tons, up to 400,000 tons in some seasons, Spain is also the world's leading country in terms of export.

> Spanish olive oil is exported to over 100 countries in the 5 continents.

> Olive oil in bulk is mainly exported to countries within the European Union (the main market to which Spain exports in bulk is Italy, followed by France, Portugal and the United Kingdom).

> Spanish olive oil is also exported in packs smaller than 5 liters, which are retailed directly to consumers, restaurants, organizations and the best gourmet shops throughout the world.
Australia, the USA, Brazil, Japan and France are the main destinations.

> Spanish olive oil undergoes a strict quality control. The manufacturers themselves carry out analyses in their own laboratories and the Spanish authorities sample each batch for analysis in order to check that they all meet the quality requirements established by the European Union.

> In Spain we have about 250 different types of olive trees, the oils of which blend the complementary qualities and tastes of the different varieties.