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Despite being the world’s largest restaurant chain, McDonald’s is absent in several countries across the world due to political, cultural and economic reasons
McDonald’s boast over 40,000 outlets across approximately 100 countries. (Representative/AP File)
When thinking of burgers, McDonald’s, often referred to as Mac-D, is the name that comes to mind. However, many might be surprised to learn that there are still numerous countries worldwide without a single McDonald’s restaurant.
Contrary to what some might assume, the absence of McDonald’s is not solely due to geopolitical tensions with the United States. For instance, despite being seen as America’s biggest adversary, Russia hosted dozens of McDonald’s restaurants for many years.
McDonald’s is recognised as the world’s largest restaurant chain, boasting over 40,000 outlets across approximately 100 countries. Yet, there are still several nations where the fast-food giant has not established a presence. The reasons for this range from political to cultural and social factors. In some places, local authorities have chosen to promote indigenous food and products, thereby preventing the establishment of McDonald’s.
In Zimbabwe, McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in the 1980s or 1990s, only to close it soon after. The company re-entered the market in 2000, but the restaurant closed again due to a severe economic crisis. This financial turmoil led to a significant drop in restaurant patronage, prompting McDonald’s to cease operations there. As a result, Zimbabwe has been without a McDonald’s restaurant for the past two decades.
In a surprising move, McDonald’s sold its 850 Russian outlets three years ago, following the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war. The first McDonald’s in Russia opened near Pushkin Square in 1990, attracting a crowd of 30,000 eager customers. However, the geopolitical situation in 2022 led the company to sell all its Russian outlets.
Similarly, Iceland had three McDonald’s restaurants until 2009, but they all closed following the financial crisis, and the chain has not returned since.
Other countries without McDonald’s restaurants include Nigeria, Mongolia, Cambodia, and Macedonia, where operations ceased in 2013 due to consistent losses.
Additional nations without a single McDonald’s outlet are Afghanistan, Cuba, Montenegro, Bolivia, Ghana, North Korea, Iran, Laos, Yemen, Jamaica, Maldives, Barbados, Armenia, Tonga, Bangladesh, Iraq, Nepal, Tunisia, Kazakhstan, Sicily, and Belarus.
