Which countries do and don't have KFC? Here's our guide? (2024)

Which countries do an don’t have a KFC? I feel like I write lots of interesting stuff on the amazing street foods of the world, but it is my articles about Fast Food joints that get all the traffic! So, why not roll with it and just be an SEO whor*?

To read about which countries have McDonalds click here

To read about when McDonalds is coming to Cambodia click here .

Table of Contents

• Which countries do and don’t have KFC?
• How many countries is KFC in?
• How may countries are there in the world?
• Which countries do and don’t have KFC?
• Who is in more countries KFC, or McDonalds?
• Here’s 5 countries that do not have a KFC that might surprise you
• Here’s 5 countries that have KFC, BUT no McDonalds
• 5 countries that have a KFC that might surprise you
• Which countries do and don’t have KFC? – Countries where KFC flunked
• Bonus Round!

Which countries do and don’t have KFC?

When we travel KFC, much like McDonalds tends to be an omnipresent sight, but whilst KFC have indeed conquered a lot of the globe, they are not everywhere by a long shot.

KFC interestingly are also bigger than McDonalds in a lot of countries, as well as being present n countries without a McDonalds.

Some countries that don’t have KFC won’t surprise you, like North Korea, but others certainly will. In this article we will show some surprising countries that do have KFC and indeed some shocking ones that don’t.

How many countries is KFC in?

KFC are currently in 144 countries AND territories. Hmmm, what does that mean? This throws up the interesting question of what counts as a country. No worries, we got that one covered too.

To read abut what counts as a country click here.

In short though it means you would count the Cayman Islands and American Samoa as different “countries” to the UK and USA respectively.

How may countries are there in the world?

There are 193 UN countries. Counting disputed territories etc we estimate there are about 260 countries in the world. See previous link for our controversial take on this!

Which countries do and don’t have KFC?

Going by our metric this would mean that roughly 115 countries do not have a KFC. This means KFC are present in around 60% of the planet. Pretty crazy when you think about it.

Who is in more countries KFC, or McDonalds?

As we just said KFC are in 144 countries. McDonalds are in only 117 countries and territories!!!! So to answer the question “which is more popular in the world KFC, or McDonalds”? KFC is more popular than McDonalds. Take that you big clown!

KFC are more popular than McDonalds globally.

Here’s 5 countries that do not have a KFC that might surprise you

Which countries do and don’t have KFC? Here’s 5 shockers that you’d expect to have one/

1) Fiji – Fiji is a bastion for McDonalds, one of the only Pacific Islands to have one. When doing the Least Visited Countries Tour we tend to go see Ronald McDonald. They formerly had a KFC, but left after a row of imports into the country in 2013.

2) Iran – OK, so this one os not all that much of a suprise, but KFC was a big deal before the revolution. Amusingly most old KFC joints still sell Fried Chicken under an array of weird and wonderful names.

3) Finland – Strangely the colonel has never entered Finland, although McDonalds is fairly established here. Why is there no KFC in Finland? Formerly not part of the EU it would have made the importing of chickens expensive. They missed the first wave and it has basically never happened.

4) Norway – Norway is not part of the EU, therefore importing chickens would be expensive. The chickens of Norway are expensive, so KFC would be expensive. That is why there is no KFC in Norway.

5) Laos PDR – The Peoples Democratic Republic of Laos are the only south-east Asian nation not to have a KFC! There has been various talk of them coming, but nothing as of yet.

Here’s 5 countries that have KFC, BUT no McDonalds

Which countries do and don’t have KFC? Here’s 5 countries with KFC, but no Big Mac! As we’ve said KFC are in more countries than McDonalds, this means there are some shock countries that have KFC, but no big friendly clown.

1. Cayman Islands – We have written about this previously, which you can read about here. Basically a Caymanian guy owns a McDonalds restaurant serving local food. He does not want to sell it. Hence KFC, but no McDonalds
2. Cambodia – We have written about McDonalds coming to Cambodia which you can read about here. But as of now we go BK and KFC, but McDonalds and Hooters are mere pipe dreams.
3. Ghana – Some say that Ghana actually banned McDonalds, but this is unclear. Another surprising country not to have one, but they have KFC and it is very popular.
4. North Macedonia – McDonalds were briefly here, but flunked. KFC on the other hand are here and doing well.
5. Iceland – Another country that formerly had a McDoanlds. In the end prices to import goods became too high, so they left the country. KFC on the other hand have 8 successful outlets in the capital of Reykjavik.

5 countries that have a KFC that might surprise you

Which countries do and don’t have KFC? Here’s 5 countries that have KFC, but might surprise you.

1. Cuba – OK, so this is a big of a cheat. Cuba does not have KFC per se, but they have KFC at the American run Guantanamo Bay. It kind of counts.
2. Madagascar – Yep the same big African island from the movie. Famous for being so cut off from the rest of the planet, but Colonel Sanders managed to come here.
3. South America – Yeah we know it is not a country, BUT every country in South America has a KFC. That is the Colonel doing some real colonization! Top marks.
4. China – OK, so KFC in China might be well known, BUT did you know it is the biggest franchise in China AND the biggest market for KFC worldwide? A whopping 4000+ outlets they originally arrived in 1988. To read about the colonel in China click here.
5. Myanmar – It really was not all that long ago that Myanmar was one of the most sanctioned countries on earth. Then the military were told sanctions would end if they held mock elections. Hurrah! KFC got to enter the market in 2015. You could almost forget it is still run by the military.

Which countries do and don’t have KFC? – Countries where KFC flunked

You can’t be successful everywhere and all the time. Here’s 5 times KFC failed in a country.

1. Fiji – Fiji is one of the few countries in the pacific to have a McDonalds. Something I have often utilized. KFC were here too, but after arguments about costs withdraw in 2013.
2. Zimbabwe – KFC tried and failed in Zimbabwe not once, but twice. No Zimbabwe artist fries from KFC since 2018. Although hey have a local chain called Chicken Inn that would you guess serves chicken.
3. Syria – KFC entered Syria in 2005 and things were going great until the pesky Arab Spring. Now all outlets are closed, but hey never say never, they might be back.
4. Andorra – Lasting a whopping 25 years they closed their doors in 2014. To be fair they are a micro-state.
5. Haiti – Notch is known about KFC in Haiti other than they had one store, it did not go well and they no longer have one.

Bonus Round!

North Korea! OK, so there is no KFC in North Korea, but during talks about opening up the country, KFC with its experience in China was touted as a foreign company that might enter the market. It never happened, but you are more likely to see a KFC in Pyongyang than any other chain. In actual fact North Korea make some great fried chicken.

So, we hope that answers the question of which countries do and don’t have KFC?

We sincerely hope you enjoy this as much as our other fast food blogathons! Long story short, you are more likely to get a KFC bucket than a happy meal when you travel the globe.