Rice consumption varies sharply by region, from an OECD-FAO baseline of 72.2 kilograms per person in Asia in 2023–2025 to 6.8 kilograms in Europe. National utilization is measured differently: the USDA’s consumption-and-residual series includes food, seed, industrial, feed, and waste, while survey figures can describe direct household or meal consumption.
Contents
- Global per-capita consumption
- National consumption outlook
- Recent national trajectories
- Regional domestic consumption
- Imports and market dependence
- Household and sector evidence
Global per-capita consumption
The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2026–2035 reports rice food-consumption averages for 2023–2025 and projects levels for 2035. These are food-consumption projections, not the broader USDA utilization measure. The growth rates are least-squares average annual rates for 2026–2035, and the 2035 values are forecasts.
| Region | 2023–2025 average | 2035 projection | Average annual growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 72.2 kg/person/year | 72.1 kg | -0.1% |
| Africa | 26.0 kg/person/year | 29.6 kg | 1.0% |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 25.4 kg/person/year | 25.2 kg | -0.2% |
| Oceania | 19.0 kg/person/year | 20.4 kg | 0.6% |
| North America | 11.5 kg/person/year | 11.6 kg | 0.5% |
| Europe | 6.8 kg/person/year | 7.0 kg | 0.3% |
| World | 50.7 kg/person/year | 50.8 kg | -0.1% |
Source: Cereals: OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2026–2035.
Asia has the highest listed per-capita level, at 72.2 kilograms per person per year in the 2023–2025 average, but its projected 2035 level is nearly unchanged at 72.1 kilograms. Africa starts much lower at 26 kilograms, yet has the strongest projected growth in this comparison, reaching 29.6 kilograms by 2035. The global average moves only from 50.7 to 50.8 kilograms, with a reported average annual growth rate of -0.1%.
The regional spread is also important for interpreting global averages. Europe’s 6.8-kilogram baseline is less than one-tenth of Asia’s 72.2 kilograms, while North America’s 11.5 kilograms remains below Oceania’s 19 kilograms. These figures describe average food consumption across populations; they do not indicate that every household consumes the regional average.
National consumption outlook
The USDA’s September 2026 outlook forecasts world rice consumption and residual at 539,608 thousand metric tons in 2026/27, on a milled-rice basis. Because the series includes food, seed, industrial, feed, and waste, it should not be read as a direct measure of rice eaten by people.
The largest national forecasts are concentrated in Asia. China is forecast at 147,300 thousand metric tons and India at 125,000 thousand metric tons. Bangladesh is forecast at 39,000 thousand metric tons, followed by Indonesia at 35,000 thousand and Vietnam at 22,100 thousand. The Philippines is forecast at 17,900 thousand, Thailand at 12,800 thousand, and Burma at 9,100 thousand.
Outside those leading Asian markets, Nigeria’s 2026/27 forecast is 8,800 thousand metric tons, Japan’s is 8,000 thousand, Brazil’s is 7,300 thousand, Pakistan’s is 4,700 thousand, Nepal’s is 4,650 thousand, Cambodia’s is 4,575 thousand, Egypt’s is 4,175 thousand, and the United States’ is 4,698 thousand.
Source: Global Market Analysis Grain: World Rice Production, Consumption, and Stocks (September 2026).
These totals are forecasts for the 2026/27 marketing year, rather than completed calendar-year observations. They are useful for comparing the scale of national rice utilization, but the broader definition means that comparisons with per-capita food-consumption estimates require care.
Recent national trajectories
The same USDA outlook combines historical estimates with a September 2026 forecast. China’s consumption and residual fell from 154,994 thousand metric tons in 2022/23 to 144,957 thousand in 2024/25, then is forecast at 147,300 thousand in 2026/27. India moved in the opposite direction, from 114,513 thousand in 2022/23 to 121,357 thousand in 2024/25 and a forecast 125,000 thousand in 2026/27.
| Country | 2022/23 estimate | 2024/25 estimate | 2026/27 forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 154,994 thousand metric tons | 144,957 thousand | 147,300 thousand |
| India | 114,513 thousand metric tons | 121,357 thousand | 125,000 thousand |
| Bangladesh | 37,300 thousand metric tons | 38,000 thousand | 39,000 thousand |
| Indonesia | 35,600 thousand metric tons | 35,500 thousand | 35,000 thousand |
| Philippines | 16,100 thousand metric tons | 17,500 thousand | 17,900 thousand |
| Nigeria | 7,800 thousand metric tons | 8,300 thousand | 8,800 thousand |
| Japan | 8,150 thousand metric tons | 8,050 thousand | 8,000 thousand |
Bangladesh is estimated to rise from 37,300 thousand metric tons in 2022/23 to 38,000 thousand in 2024/25 and 39,000 thousand in the forecast. Indonesia is nearly flat across the period, moving from 35,600 thousand to 35,500 thousand and then 35,000 thousand. The Philippines rises from 16,100 thousand to 17,500 thousand and then 17,900 thousand, while Nigeria rises from 7,800 thousand to 8,300 thousand and then 8,800 thousand.
Japan shows a modest decline in this utilization series, from 8,150 thousand metric tons in 2022/23 to 8,050 thousand in 2024/25 and 8,000 thousand in 2026/27. Brazil is estimated at 7,125 thousand metric tons in 2022/23, 7,400 thousand in 2024/25, and forecast at 7,300 thousand in 2026/27. Each trajectory combines historical estimates with a forecast and retains the USDA’s broad consumption-and-residual definition.
Regional domestic consumption
For 2026/27, USDA regional forecasts show East Asia at 161,923 thousand metric tons of domestic rice consumption, the largest listed regional aggregate. Sub-Saharan Africa is forecast at 42,777 thousand metric tons, while South America is forecast at 15,464 thousand. The Middle East is forecast at 11,030 thousand, North America at 6,193 thousand, and North Africa at 4,760 thousand.
Other regional estimates include the European Union at 3,700 thousand metric tons, the Former Soviet Union at 1,990 thousand, the Caribbean at 1,865 thousand, and Central America at 1,468 thousand. These are regional aggregates on a milled-rice basis, and USDA definitions apply. They should be used to compare the scale of domestic utilization rather than to infer an individual resident’s annual intake.
The contrast between East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa illustrates why both regional and per-capita measures matter. East Asia has the higher aggregate forecast, while the OECD-FAO table separately reports Asia’s average food consumption at 72.2 kilograms per person in 2023–2025. Aggregate totals reflect population size as well as consumption intensity, so the two measures answer different questions.
Imports and market dependence
USDA’s 2026/27 September trade-year estimates provide another view of rice markets. Sub-Saharan Africa’s rice imports are forecast at 19,325 thousand metric tons, compared with domestic consumption of 42,777 thousand metric tons in the same broad USDA framework. Southeast Asia’s imports are forecast at 12,025 thousand metric tons, while East Asia’s are forecast at 5,543 thousand.
The Middle East is forecast to import 8,345 thousand metric tons, North America 2,975 thousand, South America 2,040 thousand, and South Asia 2,745 thousand. The European Union’s imports are forecast at 2,350 thousand metric tons, the Caribbean’s at 1,070 thousand, and North Africa’s at 730 thousand.
Imports are trade flows, not direct household intake. They can help describe how consumption markets are supplied, but they do not equal the amount consumed during the same period. The figures are trade-year forecasts on a milled-rice basis, with USDA regional definitions.
Household and sector evidence
Country surveys add detail that broad utilization totals cannot provide. In Colombia, rice consumption reached 46 kilograms per person in 2024, and rice was consumed by 98% of households. Small mom-and-pop stores accounted for 92% of rice sales in 2024. The retail figure describes sales-channel share, not the share of household consumption.
Source: Grain and Feed Update – Bogota, Colombia (CO2024-0019).
South Korea’s official table-rice survey reports per-capita consumption falling from 56.4 kilograms in 2023 to 55.8 kilograms in 2024. USDA FAS notes concerns about limited sample size and possible non-representativeness. At the same time, rice consumption for meals by Korean food manufacturers increased 18% in 2024 from 2023. That measure includes lunchboxes, home-meal-replacement kits, and frozen kimbap, so it is not total household intake.
South Korea’s total rice consumption is forecast at about 3.8 million metric tons in marketing year 2025/26. This is total utilization, not per-capita intake. The country used 400,000 metric tons of rice for feed in marketing year 2023/24, which is a component of utilization rather than direct human food consumption. Rice imports are forecast at 408,000 metric tons in marketing year 2025/26 under the minimum market-access import scheme; that import figure is not a measure of household consumption.
Source: Grain and Feed Annual – Seoul, Korea (Republic of) (KS2025-0014).
Together, the Colombian and South Korean evidence shows why rice consumption statistics need a clear denominator and definition. A per-capita food figure, a percentage of households, a retail-channel share, a manufacturer measure, a national utilization total, and an import forecast describe different parts of the rice system and should not be treated as interchangeable.