Grains are measured through several related lenses: total cereal utilization, food use, animal feed, non-food uses, trade and per-capita availability. The figures below cover global balances and forecasts, with selected regional and U.S. measures; food-use and availability figures are supply-side estimates rather than individual dietary-intake surveys.
Key Grain Consumption Statistics
These highlights summarize the most broadly useful figures across the data:
- In 2022/23, world cereal utilization was 2,792.4 million tonnes.
- In 2023/24, estimated world cereal utilization reached 2,835.9 million tonnes, 1.6% above 2022/23.
- For 2024/25, world cereal utilization is forecast at 2,851.0 million tonnes, 0.5% above 2023/24.
- In 2022/23, global cereal food use was 1,184.9 million tonnes.
- In 2024/25, global cereal food use is forecast at 1,213.3 million tonnes, 1.1% above 2023/24.
- Global per-capita cereal food consumption was 148.6 kilograms per person in 2022/23.
- In 2033, 41% of global cereals are projected to be directly consumed by humans.
- In 2033, 36% of global cereals are projected to be used as animal feed.
- Global cereal use is projected to rise from about 2.8 billion tonnes in the 2021–23 base period to 3.2 billion tonnes by 2033.
- FAO estimated global cereal feed use at 1,063.8 million tonnes in 2023/24.
- Global food use in 2024/25 is forecast to increase 1.4% for rice, 1.2% for coarse grains and 0.8% for wheat.
- Global wheat consumption is projected to be 11% higher in 2032 than in the 2020–22 base period.
- Asian countries are projected to provide slightly more than half of the global cereal-demand increase to 2033.
- International trade represented 17% of global cereal production in 2023.
- By 2033, almost 32% of Africa’s domestic cereal use is projected to originate outside Africa.
- Cereals represent about 45% of global calories.
- Post-harvest cereal losses during transport and processing are estimated at around 5% of global cereal production.
- U.S. wheat-flour availability was 132.9 pounds per person in 2022.
Contents
- Global grain consumption scale and recent trends
- Food, feed and other cereal uses
- Wheat, rice, maize and coarse-grain data
- Regional grain consumption and demand growth
- Grain trade and import dependence
- Losses, waste and per-capita availability
Global Grain Consumption Statistics: Scale and Recent Trends
The FAO balance view puts world cereal utilization at 2,792.4 million tonnes in 2022/23. It estimated utilization at 2,835.9 million tonnes in 2023/24, a 1.6% increase, and forecasts 2,851.0 million tonnes in 2024/25, another 0.5% increase.
| Period | World cereal utilization | Measurement status |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 2,792.4 million tonnes | Estimate |
| 2023/24 | 2,835.9 million tonnes | Estimate |
| 2024/25 | 2,851.0 million tonnes | Forecast |
Source: Cereals: Cereal Grain Production, Utilization and Stocks. The FAO balance includes rice in milled equivalent where stated, so “cereal” is a defined accounting category rather than every grain product sold at retail.
Global cereal food use was 1,184.9 million tonnes in 2022/23 and an estimated 1,200.1 million tonnes in 2023/24, up 1.3%. FAO forecasts 1,213.3 million tonnes in 2024/25, 1.1% above 2023/24.
Per-capita cereal food consumption was estimated at 148.6 kilograms per year globally in 2022/23 and 149.2 kilograms in 2023/24. The 2024/25 forecast is 149.4 kilograms per person per year; these are FAO balance measures, not household survey results.
Grain Consumption Data by Food, Feed and Other Uses
Cereal utilization includes food, animal feed and other uses, so total consumption should not be treated as direct human eating. FAO estimated feed use at 1,043.5 million tonnes in 2022/23, 1,063.8 million tonnes in 2023/24, and forecasts 1,068.2 million tonnes in 2024/25.
| Use category | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food use | 1,184.9 million tonnes | 1,200.1 million tonnes | 1,213.3 million tonnes |
| Feed use | 1,043.5 million tonnes | 1,063.8 million tonnes | 1,068.2 million tonnes |
| Other uses | 564.0 million tonnes | 572.1 million tonnes | 569.5 million tonnes |
Source: Cereals: Cereal Grain Production, Utilization and Stocks. Other uses include non-food uses in the FAO balance; the 2024/25 value is a forecast and is 0.5% below 2023/24.
The OECD-FAO baseline gives a longer-term view. Global cereal use is projected to rise from about 2.8 billion tonnes in the 2021–23 base-period average to 3.2 billion tonnes by 2033, including 162 million tonnes of additional food use and 127 million tonnes of additional feed use.
For 2033, the projected use split is 41% direct human consumption, 36% animal feed and 23% biofuels and other uses. These percentages use total cereal use as their denominator and are not interchangeable with the FAO balance categories above.
Source: Cereals: OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2024-2033.
Wheat, Rice, Maize and Coarse-Grain Consumption Trends
The 2024/25 FAO forecast shows different food-use growth rates across major cereal groups:
- Rice food use is forecast to increase 1.4% from 2023/24 to 2024/25.
- Coarse-grain food use is forecast to increase 1.2% over the same period; the category includes coarse grains, not only maize.
- Wheat food use is forecast to increase 0.8% over the same period.
Source: Cereals: Cereal Grain Production, Utilization and Stocks.
Longer-range projections also distinguish food and feed demand. Global wheat consumption is projected to be 11% higher in 2032 than in the 2020–22 base period, using the OECD-FAO 2023–2032 baseline.
For cereal feed consumption through 2033, the OECD-FAO baseline projects annual growth of 1.3% for maize, 0.9% for wheat and 0.6% for other coarse grains. Other coarse-grain utilization is projected to increase by nearly 29 million tonnes over the decade, with annual growth of 0.8% through 2033 versus 0.1% in the previous decade.
The food share of other coarse-grain consumption is projected to rise from about 26% in the 2021–23 base period to 28% in 2033. The report also projects that the five largest consuming countries will account for between 48% and 66% of consumption for each cereal commodity, depending on the commodity.
Sources: Cereals: OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2024-2033 and OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2024-2033 (PDF).
Regional Grain Consumption Statistics and Demand Growth
Asia is projected to account for slightly more than half of the global cereal-demand increase from 2024 through 2033. The same outlook projects Asia to contribute around 40% of global cereal-production growth, a production statistic that helps contextualize the region’s capacity to support demand.
The global concentration of consumption varies by commodity rather than following one all-cereal pattern. In the 2033 projection, the top five consuming countries account for 48% to 66% of consumption for each cereal commodity.
| Regional measure | Period | Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Asia’s share of global cereal-demand increase | 2024–33 | Slightly more than half |
| Asia’s share of global cereal-production growth | 2024–33 | Around 40% |
| Five largest countries’ share of each cereal commodity’s consumption | 2033 | 48%–66% |
Source: Cereals: OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2024-2033. The 48%–66% range is across individual commodities, not a single global share for all cereals.
Grain Trade, Imports and Consumption Dependence
International trade connects cereal production with consumption, but traded shares differ by commodity. In 2023, trade represented 17% of global cereal production; rice accounted for 10% of production traded internationally, while wheat accounted for 24%.
World cereal trade is projected to grow 16% by 2033, reaching 551 million tonnes. Maize is projected to contribute 52% of global cereal-trade growth, wheat 35% and rice 7% through 2033; these are contributions to growth, not each commodity’s share of total trade.
Regional dependence is also uneven. By 2033, almost 32% of Africa’s domestic cereal use is projected to originate outside Africa, while Oceania’s cereal exports are projected to equal 64% of national cereal production and Latin America and the Caribbean’s exports 37%.
Source: Cereals: OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2024-2033. The Oceania projection includes the report’s specified treatment of intra-regional trade.
Grain Losses, Waste and Per-Capita Availability
Cereals represent about 45% of global calories, while cereals account for more than 50% of calories lost and wasted globally. These are calorie shares, not shares of grain mass or direct consumption.
The OECD-FAO report estimates post-harvest cereal losses during transport and processing at around 5% of global cereal production. It estimates retail-stage cereal waste reduces global food availability by another 5% and household cereal waste at approximately 14%.
If current cereal loss-and-waste proportions persist, cereal-sector loss and waste volumes are projected to increase about 11% by 2033. This is a conditional projection, not a measurement of future waste already observed.
Source: OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2024-2033 (PDF).
U.S. food availability data provide a separate national supply-side proxy. USDA ERS reports corn-product availability of 35.5 pounds per person in 2022, covering flour or meal, hominy or grits and food starch; availability is not measured intake.
| U.S. measure | Period | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Corn products | 2022 | 35.5 pounds per person |
| Wheat flour | 2022 | 132.9 pounds per person |
| Wheat flour peak | 1997 | 146.8 pounds per person |
| Difference between 1997 peak and 2022 wheat-flour value | 1997–2022 | 13.9 pounds per person |
The 13.9-pound difference is derived by subtracting the two USDA ERS reported availability values; it is not a separate survey result. Per capita availability of corn products grew from 1972 to 2022 provides the U.S. series and definitions.