If it seems like there’s a McDonald’s everywhere you go, that’s because there is — almost
There were about 41,800 locations of the chain restaurant in the world in 2023, according to Statista via Chowhound.
To be exact, there were 41,822 locations — an increase from 2022’s count of around 40,200.
And McDonald’s isn’t done growing.
Late last year, the chain announced that it plans to open 9,000 new locations worldwide by 2027.
The United States has the most amount of McDonald’s, which is no surprise. The fast food giant opened its first location in San Bernardino, California, in 1940, and has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings.
In four year’s time, there will be 50,000 McDonald’s restaurants, the company said in its announcement. McDonald’s is projecting a net new restaurant growth of 4% in 2024, which will go up to 5% in the years following.
By the end of 2024, McDonald’s expects to open 2,100 additional locations, with 500 of them being in the US.
But they won’t be seen in dozens of other countries throughout, including six where the restaurant chain is illegal, according to World Population Review, in the interest of public health and cultural preservation: Bermuda, Bolivia, Iceland, Iran, Macedonia, North Korea, Yemen and Zimbabwe.
Back in its homeland, McDonald’s hit 13,449 American locations, and Houston, Texas, is the city within the US that has the most with 126 locations.
One McD’s location in the US has actually been dubbed America’s “most beautiful” McDonald’s — and even became a historic landmark.
A run-down mansion in Nassau, Long Island, was restored by the McDonald’s Corporation in exchange for permission to construct a drive-thru. That store opened its doors in 1991 and became the only franchise restaurant in the US to be housed in a fully restored building.
There’s also a McDonald’s in Freeport, Maine, that has been dubbed the “poshest” on the planet, thanks to its upscale finishings and high-end menu, which includes lobster rolls in the summertime.
The store is located inside Gore House, a Victorian-style mansion built by a local merchant back in 1850 — which was transformed into a McDonald’s in 1984.
Meanwhile, across the pond, France (including Monaco) and the United Kingdom were the countries with the most McDonald’s locations in Europe, with around 1,600 and 1,400 stores,respectively.
Poshness and beauty aside, a McDonald’s in Welshpool, Wales, has been dubbed “the best in the world” by a Michelin-starred chef. The location reportedly has a deluxe menu that has sandwiches with truffle-fragrant mayonnaise and Cadbury chocolate-filled McFlurries.
In the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, China had the most restaurants with golden arches with nearly 6,000 stores, followed by Japan and Australia, with 2,980 and 1,030 stores, respectively.
There are also 123 countries that don’t have any McDonald’s, including North Korea, Russia, Iran, Bermuda and Iceland.
