While McDonald's is a global icon, the fast-food giant does not have a presence in many countries worldwide. There are 123 countries where McDonald's has not set up a restaurant yet, including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, and North Korea, among many others.
Though there isn't an outright ban on McDonald's in most countries, there is a ban on McDonald's in Bermuda. In 1977, Bermuda put the Foreign Restaurants Act into effect, disallowing international chains from operating on the island.
Background. On December 13, 1990, the Golden Arches disappeared from the Barbadian landscape. McDonald's, the fast food giant from the USA, suspended their operations after losing a bruising battle that lasted only 16 months. This move rendered 135 workers unemployed.
In fact, only four countries on the continent feature the Golden Arches: South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia. The reasons why are myriad, but they mainly come down to money and supply chain concerns.
McDonald's opened in Iceland in 1993, but the last three restaurants closed in 2009 after the financial crisis made importing ingredients too costly. On the final day, a man named Hjörtur Smárason bought a cheeseburger and fries to keep as a souvenir.
Today, there are over 13,000 McDonald's restaurants in the United States, over 6,800 in mainland China, and almost 3,000 in Japan. Its home country and the two largest foreign markets make up more than half of McDonald's stores worldwide.
Hence, all McDonald's stores in Iceland were closed in October 2009, with no plans to revive McDonald's Iceland in the future. When the closure was announced on 26 October 2009, many concerned customers rushed in for the last-minute opportunity to have a meal at McDonald's.
One of the amazing facts about Albania is that there are no McDonalds or Starbucks in Albania, which might sound very scary to you, but there are typical coffee shops and fast-food chains in Albania that serve really good coffee and food. But, I promise you that you are going to love Albanian food and coffee.
McDonald's Israel was founded by Israeli businessman Omri Padan. Currently McDonald's has 228 restaurants in Israel, with 69 of them under Kosher supervision.
Since it announced its intention to begin distribution in Myanmar in June 2012, Coca-Cola has been officially available in every country in the world except Cuba (where it stopped being available officially since 1960—ironically, Coca-Cola's first bottling plant outside the United States was established there in 1906) ...
CHICAGO, May 16, 2022 – After more than 30 years of operations in the country, McDonald's Corporation announced it will exit the Russian market and has initiated a process to sell its Russian business.
The first three African countries in which KFC opened were South Africa in 1971, Egypt in 1973 and Mauritius in 1983. Mauritius has over 21 KFC outlets. Morocco has KFC outlets as well. Libya open first restaurant in 2021 without license in Tripoli.
So, conveniently enough, the Golden Arches right next to our hotel came to the rescue. This McDo (as McDonald's is known in several countries) had a “Moroccan” vibe, with a Bedouin tent outside, and other local touches.
There are 123 countries where McDonald's has not set up a restaurant yet, including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, and North Korea, among many others. There are various reasons why some countries do not have McDonald's outlets.
Tunisians are proud of their own traditional fast food, and as many Tunisians say with pride, there are no McDonald's here. One of Tunisia's few food chains is Baguette and Baguette.
Why McDonald's Left: The Economic Reality. The closure wasn't due to a lack of popularity or Icelanders rejecting American fast food. Instead, it was the result of a perfect economic storm that made McDonald's business model unsustainable in Iceland.
There are only four African countries that have a McDonald's in Africa (Morocco, Egypt, South Africa and Mauritius), which leaves the majority of them without, including Kenya.
A Big Mac in Japan costs half as much as in the US right now Japan continues to offer one of the lowest costs of living among developed nations, and fast food proves it. While a single Big Mac sandwich in the US can cost up to $7 in states like Massachusetts, it's just 480 yen—or about $3.35—in Japan.
How many McDonald's restaurants are there in Australia? There are 1,057 McDonald's restaurants in Australia as of August 26, 2025. The state and territory with the most number of McDonald's locations in Australia is New South Wales, with 333 restaurants, which is about 32% of all McDonald's restaurants in Australia.
Celebrating over 12 years of leadership in food service retailing in India, McDonald's now has a network of over 160 restaurants across the country, with its first restaurant launch way back in 1996.
Coca-Cola quit Russia, but you can still find it on the country's shelves. How? Coca-Cola announced it was leaving the Russian market back in March 2022 as part of the global response to the invasion of Ukraine.
