| Percentage of Adult Lactose Absorbers in 60 Human Populations Categorized by Subsistence and Latitude | ||||||
| SOURCE: Modified from Durham (1991:
Table 5.1 pp. 234-5); unweighted averages shown PCABSR = Percentage of lactose absorbers MILKPC = Total milk consumption (liters/person/year) PCCHSE = Cheese production (% of milk production) LAT = Approximate latitude | ||||||
| ID | POPUL$ | PCABSR | MILKPC | PCCHSE | LAT | |
| Category A: Hunter-gatherers traditionally lacking dairy animals | ||||||
| 1 | Eskimos of Greenland | 15.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 69.2 | N |
| 2 | Twa Pygmies of Rwanda | 22.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.6 | S |
| 3 | !Kung Bushmen | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 19.6 | S |
| 4 | #hua Bushmen of Botswana | 8.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 23.0 | S |
| Average | 12.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 28.4 | ||
| Category B: Nondairy agriculturalists (Note: = horticulturalists in Lenski's typology) | ||||||
| 5 | Yoruba | 9.0 | 4.5 | 16.0 | 6.3 | N |
| 6 | Ibo | 20.0 | 4.5 | 16.0 | 4.4 | N |
| 7 | Children of Ghana | 27.0 | 0.6 | 12.0 | 5.3 | N |
| 8 | Bantu of Zaire | 1.9 | 0.2 | 37.4 | 4.2 | S |
| 9 | Hausa | 23.5 | 4.5 | 16.0 | 12.0 | N |
| Average | 16.3 | 2.9 | 19.5 | 6.4 | ||
| Category C: Recently dairying agriculturalists | ||||||
| 10 | Kenyans (mainly Bantu) | 26.8 | 67.5 | 0.3 | 1.2 | S |
| 11 | Bantu of Zambia | 0.0 | 8.8 | 12.1 | 15.3 | S |
| 12 | Bantu of South Africa | 9.7 | 92.1 | 10.2 | 26.1 | S |
| 13 | Shi, Bantu of Lake Kivu area | 3.6 | 7.3 | 0.0 | 1.6 | S |
| 14 | Ganda, other Bantu of Uganda | 5.7 | 29.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 | N |
| Average | 9.2 | 41.1 | 4.5 | 8.9 | ||
| Category D: Milk-dependent pastoralists | ||||||
| 15 | Arabs of Saudi Arabia | 86.4 | 24.4 | N | ||
| 16 | Hima pastoralists | 90.9 | 1.0 | S | ||
| 17 | Tussi, in Uganda | 88.2 | 0.2 | N | ||
| 18 | Tussi, in Congo | 100.0 | 4.1 | S | ||
| 19 | Tussi, in Rwanda | 92.6 | 1.6 | S | ||
| Average | 91.6 | 6.3 | ||||
| Category E: Dairying people of North Africa and the Mediterranean | ||||||
| 20 | Jews in Israel | 40.8 | 203.6 | 40.1 | 32.1 | N |
| 21 | Ashkenazic Jews | 20.8 | 203.6 | 40.1 | 32.1 | N |
| 22 | N. African Sephardim | 37.5 | 28.5 | 10.7 | 33.4 | N |
| 23 | Other Sephardim | 27.8 | 120.1 | 18.0 | 37.0 | N |
| 24 | Iraqi Jews | 15.8 | 38.3 | 38.4 | 33.2 | N |
| 25 | Other Oriental Jews | 15.0 | 71.1 | 33.8 | 35.4 | N |
| 26 | Arab villagers in Israel | 19.4 | 203.6 | 40.1 | 32.1 | N |
| 27 | Syrian Arabs | 5.0 | 81.0 | 36.3 | 33.3 | N |
| 28 | Jordanian Arabs | 23.2 | 15.8 | 54.3 | 31.6 | N |
| 29 | Arabs (Jordan, Syria, etc.) | 0.0 | 15.8 | 54.3 | 31.6 | N |
| 30 | Other Arabs | 19.2 | 81.0 | 36.3 | 33.3 | N |
| 31 | Egyptian fellahin | 7.1 | 48.5 | 54.9 | 30.0 | N |
| 32 | Greeks (mostly mainland) | 52.1 | 181.1 | 48.8 | 37.6 | N |
| 33 | Greek Cretans | 44.0 | 181.1 | 48.8 | 35.2 | N |
| 34 | Greek Cypriots | 28.4 | 141.2 | 56.4 | 35.1 | N |
| 35 | Ethiopians/Erytreans | 10.3 | 21.8 | 5.4 | 13.0 | N |
| Average | 22.9 | 102.3 | 38.5 | 32.3 | ||
| Category F: Dairying people of northern Europe (over 40o N) | ||||||
| 36 | Danes | 97.5 | 1032.8 | 9.0 | 55.4 | N |
| 37 | Swedes | 97.8 | 393.1 | 24.4 | 59.2 | N |
| 38 | Finns | 85.1 | 677.9 | 8.1 | 60.1 | N |
| 39 | Northwest Europeans | 87.3 | 283.3 | 15.0 | 51.3 | N |
| 40 | French | 92.9 | 580.3 | 21.2 | 48.5 | N |
| 41 | Germans from Central Europe | 85.5 | 390.2 | 23.0 | 52.3 | N |
| 42 | Dutch (living in Surinam) | 85.7 | 828.1 | 13.7 | 52.2 | N |
| 43 | Poles (living in Canada) | 71.4 | 516.6 | 15.4 | 52.2 | N |
| 44 | Czechs (living in Canada) | 82.4 | 391.5 | 20.2 | 50.1 | N |
| 45 | Czechs (Bohemia, Moravia) | 100.0 | 391.5 | 20.2 | 49.1 | N |
| 46 | Spaniards | 85.3 | 171.2 | 19.6 | 40.2 | N |
| 47 | North Italians (Ligurians) | 70.0 | 210.9 | 37.6 | 44.2 | N |
| Average | 86.7 | 489.0 | 19.0 | 51.2 | ||
| Category G: Populations of "mixed" (dairying and non-dairying) ancestry | ||||||
| 48 | Inu | 61.5 | 29.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 | N |
| 49 | Hutus | 49.0 | 7.3 | 0.0 | 1.6 | S |
| 50 | Hutu/Tussi mixed persons | 45.5 | 7.3 | 0.0 | 1.6 | S |
| 51 | Fulani/Hausa | 33.3 | 4.5 | 16.0 | 12.0 | N |
| 52 | Yoruba/European mixed persons | 55.8 | 4.5 | 16.0 | 6.3 | N |
| 53 | Nama Hottentots | 50.0 | 81.6 | 0.0 | 26.0 | S |
| 54 | Eskimo/European mixed persons | 62.0 | 21.6 | 69.2 | N | |
| 55 | Yemen Jew/Arab mixed persons | 55.6 | 203.6 | 42.0 | 32.1 | N |
| 56 | Skolt Lapps in Finland | 39.8 | 677.6 | 8.1 | 69.5 | N |
| 57 | Mountain Lapps in Finland | 62.7 | 677.6 | 8.1 | 69.0 | N |
| 58 | Fisher Lapps in Finland | 74.5 | 677.6 | 8.1 | 68.0 | N |
| 59 | Mountain/Fisher Lapps | 66.3 | 677.6 | 8.1 | 69.5 | N |
| 60 | Rehoboth Basters | 35.0 | 92.1 | 10.2 | 26.1 | S |
| Average | 53.2 | 243.3 | 9.7 | 34.7 | ||