Economy Home appliance ownership rates by country

[Maciamo]

I was wondering how common it was to own a dishwasher in various countries. I would have expected that the ownership rate of dishwasher would be correlated to GDP per capita, but it isn't. I lived a few years in Japan and it is quite rare for Japanese households to own a dishwasher. Even the people who do own one typically have a tiny 'half-size' dishwasher. In contrast, almost all the families I know in Belgium have a dishwasher. Only students or people living alone in a studio apartment might not have one. It's not a new trend either. Everyone in my family has had a dishwasher at least since the 1970s or 80s.

Britain and Ireland are other notable outliers. Ireland now has the highest GDP per capita in the world after Luxembourg and Switzerland, but less than half of household own a dishwasher - less in fact than in Poland or Turkey. Portugal is the poorest country in Western Europe, but 69% of households own a dishwasher, almost exactly the same percentage as in Norway (70%).

I checked the data for other home appliances, but the gap between countries was much less pronounced. For example, between the ownership rate of washing machines is comprised between 85% and 95% in all European countries. Interestingly the EU average of about 90% is noticeably higher than in the US (around 80%), despite the fact that Americans have a higher disposable income.

The popularity of microwaves appears to follow more broadly culturally lines by language group.

• The highest ownership rates are found in English-speaking countries (UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia) and Japan, where about 95% of people have one, probably because of a higher dependence on take-away food and ready dishes.
• In the EU, the highest rates are found in Finland, Denmark, Baltic countries, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Greece (about 90%).
• Latin countries have lower rates: 70 to 75% in Italy, Spain and Portugal. I have met many people from these countries who were opposed to microwaves as they believe that it destroys the nutriments in food.
• France (77%) and Belgium (81%) are in between Latin and Germanic countries.
• In Slavic countries (Ukraine, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro), Hungary and Romania between 50% to 60% of households own a microwave. It's a bit lower in Bulgaria (40%), but higher in Russia (70%), and even higher in Belarus and Kazakhstan (both around 90%).

 

[Riverman]

We don't use microwave at all, but dishwasher is indispensable for our established daily routine. Only older people and people with not enough space in very small or very old flats lack one here. But it became a general standard only more recently, say since the 2000's I'd say.

 

[Jovialis]

I personally really like my toaster oven. It is great for bread, and baking stuff like fish, and meat. It is just a mini-oven, really.

 

[Jovialis]

I've noticed a lot of older people like my father and in-laws have a "spartan-like" mentality when it comes to washing dishes by hand verses using a dishwasher. Prefering to wash by hand. They're all Italian-immigrants. Frankly, I use it as much as possible. Because I find it could probably better sterilize dishes, glasses and silverware. Though we also have a lot of non-dishwasher friendly plates, with designs that would fade in circulation.

 

[Maciamo]

I personally really like my toaster oven. It is great for bread, and baking stuff like fish, and meat. It is just a mini-oven, really.

Toaster ovens are one of those appliances that seem to be more popular in the US and Japan than in Europe. In Japan everyone seems to have one and I had never used or even seen one before going to Japan in 2001. To toast bread we just use a bread toaster in Europe, which in turn is very rare in Japan.

We have both now, but personally I much prefer the pop-up toaster for bread as it's easier to adjust the power, there is an unfreeze option and it's almost impossible to burn your bread.

We use the mini oven more to warm up a small piece of pizza or fried chicken when it would take too long to use the regular oven, but not for actual cooking.

Another difference between Europe and Japan is the use of kettles. Most Japanese still use the traditional kettle that they heat up on the stove, what in Europe I don't know anybody who does not have an electric kettle.

It's so much faster and easier to use an electric kettle. If you just want to make one cup of tea and heat up the right amount of water it takes about 30 seconds. When I first went to Japan I was like "Who still uses non-electric kettles in 2001?" That's the kind of relic I could have expected to find in my grandmother's house, although unused for decades since she got an electric one.

The modern electric kettle was invented in 1955 by Russell Hobbs, a British company (which is still around and still makes electric kettles among other home appliances). That explains why I've never known anything else.

Traditional vs electric kettles

I saw a few videos on YouTube that explained that Americans often use the microwave to boil water. I have tried it but it's slower. Chat GPT says it takes two to three minutes to boil water in a mug in a microwave depending on the power (700 to 1,000 watt). But there is more chance of the water overflowing or splashing around the microwave so it's rather messy compared to a kettle. It's normal that it is slower as an electric kettle is about 2,200 W and there isn't any microwave that powerful.

 

[Maciamo]

Here are some of the videos on YouTube saying that (most) Americans don't use electric kettles.

The above video is particularly interesting as they compare how long it takes to boil 1 litre of water with a traditional kettle on a gas stove (7.5 minutes) and an electric stove (6 minutes), then wish the cheapest electric kettle available at Walmart (4.5 minutes). The guy explains that American appliances are limited to 1,300 W due to the 110 volt sockets (against 220—240 in Europe).

EDIT: I've just tested with my electric kettle at home. It's a cheap 30€ kettle, nothing fancy. Filling exactly one litre in the kettle, the water started to simmer after one and a half minutes and to truly boil after 2 minutes 45 seconds. That's nearly three times faster than with the traditional kettle on the gas stove in the video.

Japan has the same power supply system as in the US which explains why electric kettles are also less popular as they cannot reach the same power as in Europe.

Furthermore regardless of the time it takes to boil water a traditional kettle on a gas stove will consume 3.5 times more energy than an electric kettle to achieve the same result. So it is much slower and uses much more energy, the worst possible combination.

All in all an electric kettle is 10 time more energy efficient than a traditional kettle heated on a gas hob.

I asked ChatGPT about the ownership rates of electric kettles. It is between 30 and 40% in the US, which is more than the above video would suggest, but still by far the lowest in any Western country (except countries like Greece). Over 90% of northern Europeans own one (anywhere from Britain and Ireland to Poland and Russia). Ditto for Australia and New Zealand. It's a bit lower in France, Switzerland and Austria (around 70%), as well as Canada and Italy (60 to 70%). That's probably because some people in these countries almost never drink tea.

 

[Maciamo]

Here is the popularity of toaster oven by country.

ChatGPT said:

• Here’s an overview of approximate toaster oven ownership rates in the countries mentioned, based on available trends and cultural practice.
  1. In the United States, toaster oven ownership is relatively common, with approximately 35-45% of households owning one.
  2. Canada: Around 40-50%. Toaster ovens are popular but not as ubiquitous as pop-up toasters.
  3. Australia: Approximately 30-40%. Australians tend to favor standard toasters and larger ovens.
  4. New Zealand: Similar to Australia, around 30-40%. Toaster ovens are less common but still present in some homes.
  5. Japan: Very high, at around 70-80%. Toaster ovens are a kitchen staple in Japan, valued for their compact size and versatility in small living spaces.
  6. United Kingdom: Low, around 20-30%. Traditional ovens and pop-up toasters dominate British kitchens.
  7. Germany: Approximately 25-35%. Germans often use conventional ovens or other appliances for similar purposes.
  8. France: Around 30-40%, with toaster ovens being moderately popular for reheating and small-scale cooking.
  9. Netherlands: Around 20-30%. Standard ovens are more common for baking and cooking.
  10. Belgium: Similar to the Netherlands, with ownership rates of about 20-30%.
  11. Sweden, Finland, Denmark (Nordic countries): Moderate usage, around 25-35%. Larger ovens and multifunctional appliances are preferred.
  12. Spain: Low, at around 20-30%. Traditional ovens are more common for cooking and baking.
  13. Portugal: Similar to Spain, with ownership rates of about 20-30%.
  14. Greece: Slightly higher, around 25-35%, as toaster ovens are often used for small-scale cooking in some households.
  15. Poland: Moderate, at around 30-40%. Toaster ovens are used for reheating and baking, but traditional ovens dominate.
  16. Russia: Lower, at around 25-35%. While toaster ovens are available, Russians typically use larger ovens or stovetops for cooking.

So just as I suspected Japan is by far the country where toaster ovens are the most popular. I had never seen people posting slices of bread in such an oven before living in Japan, but it seems to be the normal way of doing it over there.

The Western country where toaster ovens are the most common is Canada (40—50%), followed by the United States (35—45%), then France, Poland, Australia and New Zealand (all 30—40%).

 

[Maciamo]

Another interesting difference between countries is the use of gas, infrared electric and induction electric cooktops (hobs, stoves). Personally I have been used to induction jobs since the late 1990s. I had to use gas stoves in Japan because it's by far the most popular cooking style there (70-80% of households use it according to ChatGPT), but I really dislike gas stoves. They are really slow when it comes to boiling water (e.g. for pasta) and the temperature is difficult to adjust with precision. What's more there is always the risk of gas leaks and explosions, which I find to be a big deterrent. It's also less beautiful and less eco-friendly. More induction hobs have options like built-in timers, pause (e.g. when you need to answer the door while cooking), and auto-stop in case of water overflowing. Another advantage is that the stove isn't hot after using it, so you (or children) can't get burned like with a traditional electric cooktop.

Here is the popularity of induction hobs by country according to ChatGPT:

• Norway : 35-40%
• Sweden : 30-35%
• Switzerland : 30%
• Austria, Germany & Finland : 25-30%
• Hungary : 20-30%
• France & Denmark : 20-25%
• Japan : 15-20%
• Portugal, Spain & Greece : 10-20%
• Belgium, Netherlands, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria & Russia : 10-15%
• Australia : <10%
• United Kingdom & Italy : 5-10%
• Canada : 5%
• United States : 4%

The low percentages of induction in the UK, Netherlands and Belgium are due to the fact that about 80% of households in these countries use gas cooktops. So most of the electric stoves are induction (actually Belgium and the Netherlands may have the highest proportion of induction to infrared stoves in the world, with 50 to 75% of electric cookers being induction).

However it's strange that induction hobs are so rare in the US and Canada as over two thirds of households use electric stoves (there overwhelmingly the old infrared/glass ceramic type).

 

[Maciamo]

There was wondering if there was any difference between the terms cooktops, hobs and stoves, so I asked ChatGPT.e Here's how they differ:

1. Cooktops​

• Definition: A flat cooking surface with burners or heating elements, designed to be installed into a countertop.
• Features: It does not include an oven and is often separate from other appliances.
• Common Usage: Popular in modern kitchens, offering a streamlined look.
• Examples: Electric cooktops, gas cooktops, induction cooktops.

2. Hobs​

• Definition: A term commonly used in the UK and Europe to refer to the cooking surface or burners of a stove or a built-in cooktop.
• Features: Can be part of a standalone stove or integrated into a countertop.
• Common Usage: In British English, "hob" refers specifically to the burners or heating zones.

3. Stoves​

• Definition: A standalone appliance that typically includes a cooktop (hob) and an oven in one unit.
• Features: Often larger and used as the primary cooking appliance in a kitchen.
• Common Usage: In North America, "stove" usually refers to the whole appliance, including the oven. In some regions, it may also refer to a heating stove used to warm rooms.

Key Differences​

Feature	Cooktop	Hob	Stove
Installation	Built into countertops	Built-in or part of a stove	Freestanding appliance
Includes Oven	No	No	Yes
Region	Common in North America	Common in Europe/UK	Global, with varied usage

Summary​

• If you're discussing just the cooking surface, "cooktop" (US) and "hob" (UK) are often equivalent.
• If you're talking about an appliance that includes a cooking surface and an oven, it's usually referred to as a stove.

 

[Jovialis]

Interesting, I'm use to gas-powered stoves, because I live in the NJ/NY area. I assumed it was more prevalent.