Charted: Number of IKEA Stores, by Country

Charted: Number of IKEA Stores By Country

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

The first IKEA opened in 1958 in Älmhult, Sweden, forever changing how students and young adults on a shoestring budget decorated their homes.

Its mission to provide simple, affordable, and functional furniture to the masses revolutionized an entire industry.

But in which countries does the Scandinavian brand have the biggest presence?

We visualize the number of IKEA stores globally, by region and country, using data from World Population Review. The source warns that per-country numbers tend to fluctuate as stores can open and shut at any time. IKEA’s own store count lists them by region only, and has a lower total number, suggesting stores have closed since World Population Review’s last count.

Which Countries Have the Most IKEA Stores?

IKEA’s biggest presence is in Germany, boasting of 55 stores in a country of 83 million people, or about one store per 1.5 million Germans.

A 2022 survey found that 96% of Germans knew of the IKEA brand of which 64% actively bought furniture from them. But it’s not only a passion for minimalist home design that Germans enjoy. In 2011, a German newspaper found that IKEA ranked as the second-most popular fast food place in the country, successfully beating out McDonald’s.

Across the Atlantic, the U.S. ranks a close second with 52 IKEA stores, most of them congregating on both coasts, though a fair amount can be found in the Midwest.

Both Germany and the U.S. are well-ahead of the next closest countries, China (37), France (36), and Spain (30), which round out the top five.

Like many other brands seeking access to the 1.4-billion strong market, IKEA has focused on China as a major growth opportunity. It prioritized more modular designs to fit smaller Chinese homes, a sharp contrast to their American consumers who wanted bigger beds and closets.

Some countries in the Middle East and Eastern Europe only have a single store. However, numbers don’t tell the whole story. For example, in Croatia and Lithuania, IKEA is the most-searched brand in the country.

In the Philippines (also with a solitary IKEA), shoppers are treated to a an incredible (or tiring) experience: in Pasay City, the biggest IKEA store ever measures 700,000 square feet, or the equivalent of 150 basketball courts. Before it had even opened, Filipinos reportedly crashed the website in a rush to sign up for loyalty programs.