List of countries with KFC franchises

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This is a list of countries with KFC franchises.

As of 2022, there are at least 25,000 KFC outlets in 147 countries and territories in the world. The first KFC franchise opened in the United States in 1952. +more The first overseas franchise was established in the United Kingdom in May 1965. A large number of Caribbean and developed Western markets entered by the early 1970s. This was followed by expansion throughout the Middle East and developed Asian markets from the mid-1970s and into the 1980s. China was entered in 1987. Expansions were made into most of Europe and South America in the early 1990s. The most recent area of expansion is Africa, where the company is targeting the continent's growing middle class.

The major markets for KFC include China (7,166 stores), the United States (3,943 stores), Japan (1,140 stores), Russia (979 stores), South Africa (955 stores), the United Kingdom (928 stores), Thailand (853 stores), Malaysia (743 stores), Indonesia (742 stores), Australia (699 stores), and Canada (601 stores).

The global operations are overseen by Yum International, which is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Yum! typically grant a master franchise to a local operator, or take a stake in a joint venture between such a company and itself. +more In 11 countries, Yum! International manages KFC directly, including China, Russia and India. Worldwide, major franchise holders range from large local conglomerates such as Jardine Matheson and Doosan Group, to companies specifically established to run restaurants franchises, such as AmRest. In Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia, the major franchise holders are publicly listed companies. On the other hand, in smaller markets such as some Caribbean islands, the franchises may be operated by a single individual.

+more images (28)

Current markets

Africa

Yearentered	Outlets	First outlet	Owner/major operator	Notes
2012	9	Maianga, Luanda	Grupo Ibersol
1992	16	Gaborone	Baobab Energy Botswana
1973	164		Americana Group
1993	10	Mbabane	KFC South Africa
2019	5	Libreville	Resto Group
2011	19	Greater Accra	Mohinani Group
2018	6	Abidjan, Marcory	Vivo Energy
2011	23	Nairobi	Kuku Foods East Africa
2012	8		KFC Baobab Lesotho (Pty) Ltd
2019	2	Antananarivo
2012	2	Blantyre	Afribrand Limited
1983	22	Curepipe	Food & Allied Group
2001	18		Americana Group
2007	12	Maputo	Grupo Ibersol
1992	21		Baobab Energy Namibia
2009	24	Lagos	Devyani International Nigeria Limited
2020	1	Kigali	Kuku Foods East Africa
2019	3	Dakar	Sedima Group
1971	955		Devco	Divested its holdings from 1987 until 1994 to a holding company after U. S. +more Congress passed a law forbidding U. S. companies from owning South African assets. KFC sold its assets to Devco, which managed the trademark.
2019	8		Araak Group
2013	6	Dar es Salaam	Kuku Foods East Africa
2018	8		HBG group
2013	12	Kampala	Kuku Foods East Africa
2011	4
1991-2008, 2013-	6		Country Bird Holdings	KFC left the country in 2008 after the franchise holder failed to meet Yum!'s standards. Reopened in December 2013.

Asia

Country/Region	Yearentered	Owner/major operator	Notes
	2011	GFC Ltd	11 outlets. In October 2012, the world's largest KFC opened in Baku. +more The 1,600-square-meter outlet, with a seating capacity of 300, is housed in the city's Sabunçu rail station built in 1926. AFK Ltd reportedly invested 3 million euros to restore the nearly destroyed building. 10 outlets.
	1973	Americana Group	24 outlets.
	2006	Transcom Group	First outlet opened at Gulshan in 2006. As of 2022, there are 26 outlets.
	1992	QSR Brands (M) Holdings Sdn Bhd	17 outlets.
	1987	Yum China	KFC's largest market. The first Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet opened on Qianmen Street in downtown Beijing in 1987. 7,900 outlets.
	2008	The Royal Group and QSR Brands (M) Holdings Sdn Bhd	11 outlets. Ten of these are clustered in the capital Phnom Penh. Established in March 2008. KFC is one of Royal Group of Companies Ltd (The Royal Group) business, a partnership with the Malaysian QSR brands and Rightlink Corporation. The Royal Group is one of the largest conglomerates in Cambodia with substantial investments in media, telecommunications, banking, education, property development and trading.
	1973-1975, 1985-present	Birdland Ltd	75 outlets. KFC was the first American fast food chain to enter Hong Kong in 1973, with an outlet in Mei Foo Sun Chuen. There were 11 outlets by mid-1974, but by September 1974 many outlets had closed. The remaining 4 outlets were closed in February 1975. KFC misjudged the local market and failed to develop a suitable business model, with its takeout only stores failing to catch on. Chickens imported from China were fed fishmeal, which ruined the taste. The chain was reintroduced by Swire Group in September 1985, with an outlet opened on Jordan Road, at a cost of $3 million. A second outlet was opened on Causeway Bay in 1986. By 1995 there were 17 outlets. Sold to Birdland in 1997.
	1995	Sapphire Foods Ltd Devyani International Ltd	KFC's first outlet in India was a two-storey outlet on Brigade Road in Bangalore opened in June 1995. 395 outlets.
	1979	PT Fastfood Indonesia	First outlet in Jalan Melawai, Jakarta. Listed on the Jakarta Stock Exchange. 689 outlets. It is currently owned by PT Indoritel Makmur Internasional, which also owns Indomaret. See [url=http://www. kfcku. com/]KFC Indonesia[/url]
	2015	?	8 outlets. Americana Group First Restaurant opened in Kurdistan Region at Family Mall; six outlets can be found in Erbil and 1 outlet in Duhok. KFC outlets can also be found in some Iraqi U. S. Army bases.
	1993-2014, 2020-present	Mefco Smart Service	12 outlets
	1970	KFC Holdings Japan, Ltd	First outlet opened in Kobe. 1131 outlets.
	1973	Americana Group	27 outlets.
	2008	Americana Group	The first restaurant was opened in Astana on 25 October 2008. 67 outlets as of 2022.
	1973	Americana Group	66 outlets. Americana Group opened the first KFC outlet in Kuwait in 1973 marking the brand's debut in the Middle East. In the years that followed, Americana Group expanded the brand's presence across the Middle East and North Africa region.
	2017	?	4 outlets.
	1973	Shaban Brothers Ltd	KFC Master Franchisee's from 1973-1993. 23 outlets.
	2001-2009, 2010s-Present	?	5 outlets.
	1973-1992, 2004-Present	QSR Brands (M) Holdings Sdn Bhd	The first KFC outlet was opened in 1973 on Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. 718 outlets. Kentucky Nuggets was conceived in Malaysia and then found its way to KFC worldwide. Today, Kentucky Nuggets is one of KFC's successes. KFC led the chained fast food market in 2011, with 45 percent of value sales.
	2018	Sapphire Foods	2 outlets.
	2013	Tavan Bogd Group	12 outlets.
	2015	Yoma Strategic Holdings	One outlet open in Yangon on June 30. 33 outlets.
	2009	Devyani International	12 outlets: Eight in Kathmandu, at DurbarMargh, Boudha, Thimi, Maharajgunj, Labim Mall, BlueBird mall, Kalanki, Tripureshwar, One in Itahari,One in Bharatpur, One in Hetauda and one in Lakeside Pokhara.
	1977	Americana Group	36 outlets.
		Delicious Holdings	First entered Pakistan in the late 1960s to early 1970s but subsequently closed down. Reopened in Gulshan-e-Iqbal in Karachi in 1997. 94 outlets.
Palestine	2011	ACRFF	15 outlets, First branch opened September 10, 2011 at Plaza Mall in Ramallah. 9 outlets including 3 in Ramallah.
	1967	Wholesome Foods Inc	332 outlets. In June 1994, Manuel U. Agustines obtained the sole franchise over the sale and distribution of KFC products in the Philippines, under the corporate name of Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) Corporation.
	1976	Americana Group	39 outlets.
	1975	Americana Group	220 outlets.
	1977	QSR Brands (M) Holdings Sdn Bhd	First outlet opened on Somerset Road in 1977. 40 stores by 1992, when it was acquired by KFC International. In 2002, KFC Singapore was acquired by KFC (Malaysia) Holdings Bhd. 86 outlets in 2012. All Singaporean KFC locations are certified halal.
	1984	KG Mobilians (KG Group)	190 stores. KFC Korea had a good startoff in the beginning, but experienced a decline in the mid-2000s. Opening its first store in 1984 in Jongno of the capital Seoul, the outlet number has increased with its 100th store at Mokdong of Seoul (1996), and its 200th store near Seoul University (2000). However, KFC's outlet closed due to failing sales, and dipped to around 120 stores by 2009. As of June 2014, KFC reopened some of its stores and operates 170 outlets in South Korea.
	1995	Cargills Ceylon PLC	Currently 39 outlets, with the first outlet opening at Majestic City, Colombo, in 1995.
	1985	Jardine Matheson	Taiwan's first KFC outlet was opened in the Ximending district of Taipei. It was initially a joint venture between KFC and Uni-President Enterprises Corporation, Taiwan's largest food company, until President sold its stake in 1997. Jardine's acquired full control of the poorly performing KFC Taiwan from Yum! in 2010. 153 outlets.
	2021	?	First outlet opened in Dushanbe. 2 outlets.
	1984	Yum Restaurants International (Thailand) and Central Restaurants Group	717 outlets. Originally opened in 1970 but closed down after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. KFC reopened in Thailand at CentralPlaza Lardprao in Bangkok.
	1975	Americana Group	151 outlets.
	2018	International Food Chain	First outlet opened in Tashkent. Today there are 14 outlets overall, including 11 outlets in Tashkent, 1 in Kokand, 1 in Andijan, and 1 in Samarkand.
	1997	KFC Vietnam	First outlet opened in Ho Chi Minh City. Jardine Matheson acquired a 25% stake in the company in 2011. 136 outlets. Euromonitor estimated that KFC has 15% of the fast food market by value in 2011, making it the leading company.
	2002	Unknown	One outlet in Sanaa.

Caribbean, Central and South America

Yearentered	Owner/major operator	Notes
N/A	KFC Antigua	3 outlets.
2010	Desarrollos Gastronomicos S. +moreA.	First opened in 1980 but closed in 1990. In 2010, KFC reopened in Buenos Aires. 18 outlets.
N/A	Hucor Holding	Four outlets.
1967	Myers Group	13 outlets.
1971	?	12 outlets.
2014	?	3 outlets. First Store in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
1992	Harborside Foodcourt, NV, Ruth van Tilburg-Obre	One outlet.
1973	Brazil Fast Food Corporation	60 outlets. First entered the market in 1973, but eventually pulled out in 1982. Returned in 1992. The company entered a change in strategy in 1997, when it announced plans to close its 7 urban locations and relocate to 8 shopping centre locations. All stores closed in 2000, but the chain returned in 2008. 44 outlets on States of Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Ceará, São Paulo, Paraná and Distrito Federal.
1976	KFC Cayman	Was the first food franchise in the Caymans. 3 outlets.
1992	Desarrollos Gastronomicos S. A. (Degasa)	First store in Santiago. 68 outlets.
1993	INT	79 outlets.
1970	QSR International	First restaurant on Paseo Colon. 43 outlets.
2004	AAFES	One outlet at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.
?	Hucor Holding	Seven outlets.
2010	Fine Foods Inc	One outlet.
1997	Kentucky Foods Group Ltd	27 outlets.
1975	INT Food Services Corp.	First store in Quito. KFC is the largest fast food chain in Ecuador, and it is KFC's largest market in the region with 144 outlets.
2004	Corporacion de Franquicias Americanas (CFA)	7 outlets.
?	?	4 outlets.
?	?	4 outlets.
?	?	5 outlets.
2009	?	7 outlets.
1994 *2016	Didco	Five outlets. First outlet opened in Georgetown. Reached four outlets, but the market was abandoned in 2014. Reopened in 2016.
2004	Grupo Comidas	First restaurant was in San Pedro Sula. 15 outlets.
2010	Restaurants of Jamaica	First KFC at Kingston. 37 outlets.
?	?	One outlet.
1969	Franquicias Panamenas	44 outlets.
2014	Southfood S. A.	3 outlets.
1981	Delosi	First store in Lima. KFC is the oldest and the largest US fast food chain in Peru with 140 outlets.
1967	Encanto Restaurants, Inc	81 outlets.
?	?	One outlet.
?	?	Four outlets.
?	?	Four outlets.
1986	Ken Boyea	First outlet opened in Kingstown. 2 outlets.
1996	Cirkel Group	6 outlets.
1973	Prestige Holdings Limited	First opened in St James, a suburb of Port of Spain. 58 outlets.
?	?	5 outlets.
1973	?	25 outlets.

Europe

Yearentered	Owner/major operator	Notes
2016	Global Fast Food	First outlet in Albania opened in Tirana in April 2016 at the Tirana East Gate Mall, with further expansion since. KFC is the first international fast food chain in Albania. +more 8 outlets.
2007	Derjava	11 outlets.
1970	Queensway Restaurants LtdAmRest	First entered the country in 1970 but withdrew. Returned in 2005 with a store in Vienna. 11 outlets as of 2022, with plans to expand to up to 50 the coming years.
2015	Bel Food Service LLC, CreativeFood-S-Vostok LLC	19 outlets as of June 2021.
2019	Autogrill	13 outlets as of July 2022. The first Belgian KFC restaurant opened in Brussels North Railway Station in June 2019.
2022	TASTRA	1 outlet. First store opened in Sarajevo.
1994	Samex Ltd. and Amrest	29 outlets. First store opened in Sofia. The second international fast food brand in Bulgaria.
2011	AmRest	8 outlets. First store opened in Zagreb. 6 outlets in Zagreb, 1 in Split and 1 in Zadar.
2013/2014	CK Restaurant System Franchisers Ltd PHC Franchised Restaurants Ltd	25 outlets.
1995	AmRest	114 outlets.
1970s	ISKEN ApS.	Opened in the 1970s, but later closed. Returned in 1991, with 12 outlets as of 2022.
2019	Apollo Group OÜ	KFC opened its first restaurant in Estonia on October 24, 2019 in Ülemiste centre. As of 2021, there are 9 outlets in Estonia.
2021	Apollo Group	Six outlets as of July 2022. KFC's first restaurant was opened on the 11th of November in Finland.
1991	KFC France	Opened in 1991, but all seven stores were closed by 1992. Returned in 2001, with 248 outlets by June 2021.
2010	?	11 outlets.
1968	KFC GB Ltd	First restaurant was opened at Hansaallee in Frankfurt in 1968. Struggled to reach 12 stores by 1995. 191 outlets by June 2022, with plans to expand to up to 500 in the next five to seven years.
1992	Food Plus	First outlet in Piraeus near Athens. 12 outlets
1992	AmRest	80 outlets. The store on Király Street in Budapest was the first Central European KFC in a post-communist country. The previous master franchise holder was Hemingway Holding AG.
1980	KFC ehf	8 outlets. The first outlet opened on October 9, 1980 in Hafnarfjörður.
1971	KFC (GB) Ltd	First opened in Phibsborough shopping centre. Major franchisees include MBCC Foods and Herbel Restaurants (Ireland) Ltd. 38 outlets.
1970s	KFC® Italy Srl	Very first outlet opened in Naples in the 1970s, but since closed. Returned on November 21, 2014 with the first restaurant in Rome. 66 outlets in September 2022. See [url=http://www. kfc. it/?gclEAIaIQobChMI9cTNwPzL2QIVw7gbCh2MogiaEAAYASAAEgL7bvD_BwE]KFC Italia[/url]
2016	KAN	First outlet opened in Pristina in September 2016 at Albi Mall, with outlets now in various other cities. KFC is the first international fast food chain in Kosovo. 12 outlets.
2014	Apollo Group	First outlet opened in August 2014 in Riga Five outlets in November 2020.
2007	UAB Cibus Restaurants	Seven outlets.
2019	Autogrill	One outlet.
1997	The Farsons Group	3 outlets.
2008	US Food Network	First opened in Chișinău in MallDova mall. 2 outlets.
2023	BIG	4 outlets Will open in BIG shopping centers in Podgorica, Nikšić, Kotor and Bar.
1972	KFC Netherlands	First branch was opened in Rotterdam in 1972. Headquarters are in Amsterdam-Zuidoost. 82 (+1 in #Caribbean and South America\|Bonaire by other operator) outlets by July 2022.
2018	KAN International	5 outlets in Skopje and Tetovo.
1992	AmRest	315 outlets.
1994	Grupo Ibersol	34 outlets in June 2021.
1997	Sphera Franchise Group	First opened in Bucharest, Magheru Blvd. Opened on April 17, 1997, 94 outlets as of April 2022. See [url=http://www. kfc. ro]KFC Romania[/url]
1993	Yum! International, AmRest and more	Former launched in 1993 competing Rostik's franchise, acquired by Yum in 2010 and absorbed into KFC in 2013. 1000+ outlets. Also operated as separate franchise from 1998 to mid 2000s until was exported into Poland and sold to AmRest in 2007.
2007	AmRest	First store opened in Belgrade. 13 outlets in Serbia (9 outlets in Belgrade, 2 in Novi Sad, 1 in Niš and 1 on A1 motorway near Lapovo).
2006	Queensway Restaurants Slovakia	7 outlets in June 2021. First restaurant in Trnava.
2018	AmRest	One outlet.
1970	AmRest	143 outlets.
1981	Nordic Service Partners	12 outlets. First opened in 1981, but soon withdrew. Returned in 2014 with the first outlet opened in Lockarp near Malmö with a drive-through on December 31, 2014.
1980s	Kentucky Fried Chicken (Great Britain) Ltd.	Present from the 1980s until 2004, but since closed. Returned in 2017 with the first store opened at the main railway station in Geneva on December 5, 2017. 11 locations as of June 2021.
1989	KFC Turkey	142 outlets.
1999	Global Restaurant Group	In 1999-2006 the chain was working with Russian ownership under the name Rostik's. In 2012 the first KFC was opened in Kyiv. 48 outlets in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Odesa, Pavlohrad, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr and Sumy.
1965	KFC GB Ltd	First restaurant was located in Preston, Lancashire. 909 outlets, making the United Kingdom KFC's largest market in Europe and fourth largest worldwide.

North America

Yearentered	Owner/major operator	Notes
1975	KFC Bermuda	First KFC restaurant on Queen Street, Hamilton. There is just one outlet. +more
1953	Yum Restaurants International (Canada)	639 outlets. First restaurant in Calgary. Branded PFK (Poulet Frit Kentucky) in the province of Quebec, the only such alteration of the trademark in the world.
1965	Premium Restaurant Brands	393 outlets. First outlet opened in Monterrey.
1930	?	4062 outlets. The franchise first opened in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1952.

Oceania

Yearentered	Owner/major operator	Notes
1984	?	Had two outlets. Now there is one with a Pizza Hut outlet. +more
1968	KFC Australia Pty Ltd, Collins Foods	There are 653 outlets in Australia. The first Australian KFC was built and opened at Guildford in the western suburbs of Sydney.
1975	?	First store in Tamuning. Eight outlets.
1971	Restaurant Brands	First store opened in Royal Oak, Auckland. 100 outlets.
1986	?	One outlet in Saipan.

Former markets

Asia

Country/Region	Yearexisted	Owner/major operator	Notes
	1973-1979	Reza Raeesi	The franchise was abandoned in Iran following the 1979 Iranian revolution. Colonel Sanders visited Tehran in the 1970s. +more KFC had stressed that two stores that opened in Karaj in 2012 and Mashhad in 2014 under the KFC name were not affiliated with the company.
	2006-2014	?	All outlets were shut down in 2014 due to the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

Caribbean and South America

Country/Region	Yearentered	Owner/major operator	Notes
	Late 1970s-1997	?

Europe

Yearentered	Owner/major operator	Notes
1979-2013/2014		KFC closed its doors in Andorra in 2014.
Mid 1980s-Late 1980s		KFC tried to open in Frognerstranda in the 1980s, but got closed soon after. +more
1993-2022	Yum! International	KFC closed and sold its restaurants in Russia along with Pizza Hut in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.