Sales were also down in the US (-2.8%), and across Europe (-0.7%), during August, as stated in McDonald’s latest financial update.
Don Thompson, president and chief executive, said: "During August, McDonald’s global business faced several headwinds that impacted sales performance.
"For the long term, we remain focused on strengthening the key foundational elements of our service, operations and marketing to maximize the impact of our strategic growth priorities for our customers and our business."
Performance in the US was hampered by the highly competitive marketplace, while in Europe a strong performance in the UK more than offset a weak performance in Russia.
Sales in the APMEA region was negatively impacted by the scandal to hit one of its suppliers, OSI China’s Shanghai Husi Foods.
"APMEA is in the process of undertaking recovery strategies in order to restore customers’ trust and confidence while continuing to pursue value, convenience and menu initiatives that differentiate the McDonald’s experience," said the chain.