Spanish Potato-Chip Consumption Reaches 78,463 Tonnes as Sales Rise 3%

Consumption rises above 78,000 tonnes

Consumers in Spain bought 78,463 tonnes of potato chips between June 2025 and May 2026, according to Circana data reported by the Spanish Snack Association and published by Libertad Digital. Volume increased 2.4% from the corresponding previous period, underlining the category’s position within Spain’s broader market for nuts, seeds and other savory snacks.

Potato-chip sales rose 3% during the latest rolling year to €731.11 million. The category accounted for 24.9% of the total snack market by value and 26.7% by volume. The higher volume share indicates that potato chips remain a mass-market product, while their slightly smaller value share points to a lower average value per unit of volume than the market as a whole.

Household and out-of-home demand

Separate figures from Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food show that households consumed 54,145 tonnes of potato chips in 2025 and spent €456.5 million on the category. Average household consumption was 1.16 kilograms per person, almost unchanged from the previous year, while expenditure remained broadly stable at €9.74 per person.

Demand extends beyond retail purchases. Potato chips and other salty products were the leading out-of-home snack category in the ministry’s latest food-consumption report, reaching 0.79 kilograms per person. The number of out-of-home snack consumption occasions increased 3.6%, but volume measured in kilograms or liters rose only 1.4%. This gap suggests that demand is growing more through additional occasions than through larger portions.

The ministry nevertheless identifies a long-term decline in overall snack consumption, with nuts as the exception. That trend creates a mixed outlook for potato-chip manufacturers: the latest annual figures show growth, but competition for consumption occasions remains strong across the wider snack aisle.

Innovation supports competitive positioning

Carmen Rico, secretary-general of the Spanish Snack Association, told EFE Agro that potato chips are closely connected with Spain’s established aperitif culture and are consumed both inside and outside the home. She also highlighted changes in flavors, textures, formats, production processes and portion sizes as the industry adapts to different preferences and occasions.

Product development, including baked alternatives, may help producers address demand for greater variety. The association also says it promotes responsible consumption as part of a varied and balanced diet, an important consideration for companies positioning products and portion formats.

Foodservice adds another demand channel

Restaurant demand provides an additional outlet for processors and suppliers. Foster’s Hollywood sells more than 2.6 million servings a year in Spain of one potato dish made with melted cheese, bacon and ranch sauce. The chain serves more than 3,000 tonnes of French fries annually, illustrating the scale that individual foodservice operators can generate, although these figures cover a different potato-product segment from packaged chips.

The Spanish category sits within a much larger international industry. A Fortune Business Insights study valued the global potato-chip market at $60.29 billion in 2025, equivalent to about €51.653 billion. The study links global development to rising snack consumption, diversification and products designed for different preferences, including baked chips. For Spanish producers and retailers, domestic growth and the category’s near-quarter share of snack value provide a solid demand base, while stable per-capita household consumption makes innovation and out-of-home occasions increasingly important sources of incremental sales.