TOP 10 Countries by Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio (2025)
Why food self-sufficiency still matters in a globalised food system
The food self-sufficiency ratio compares a country’s domestic food production with its food consumption, typically measured in calories or in the monetary value of agricultural commodities. A value above 100 percent means that a country produces more food than it consumes and can in principle feed its population from domestic output. A value below 100 percent indicates reliance on net imports. In an era of integrated trade, self-sufficiency is not the only – or even the primary – goal of food policy, but it remains a crucial buffer against supply shocks, price spikes and geopolitical risk.
This section looks at the ten countries with the highest food self-sufficiency ratios in 2025, explains what drives their strong positions, and highlights how export orientation, climate risk and dietary patterns interact with the headline indicator.
Table 1. Food self-sufficiency ratio (%), Top 10 countries, 2025
| Rank | Country | Food self-sufficiency ratio, % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 185 |
| 2 | Argentina | 175 |
| 3 | Australia | 170 |
| 4 | Canada | 165 |
| 5 | United States | 150 |
| 6 | Ukraine | 145 |
| 7 | France | 135 |
| 8 | Thailand | 130 |
| 9 | Vietnam | 125 |
| 10 | Russia | 120 |
All countries in the Top 10 are major net exporters of agricultural commodities. Their ratios are pushed up by large export-oriented sectors in crops such as soybeans, maize, wheat, rice, sugar and oilseeds, which more than compensate for net imports of specific products (for example coffee, fruits or fish).
At the same time, a high self-sufficiency ratio does not automatically guarantee that all residents enjoy secure access to adequate food. Domestic distribution, poverty, infrastructure and social protection policies are critical to translate abundant production into actual food security on the ground.
Chart 1. Food self-sufficiency ratio in Top 10 countries, 2025
The bar chart below illustrates the scale of surplus in the leading exporters. Brazil and Argentina produce nearly twice as much food as they consume, while Australia and Canada also have large exportable surpluses relative to their population size.
What stands behind a “high” food self-sufficiency ratio?
A high food self-sufficiency ratio can reflect very different underlying realities. In some countries, it is driven by abundant arable land per capita and a long history of specialised export agriculture, combined with relatively modest domestic consumption. In others, productivity gains and technological adoption allow farmers to produce large surpluses even where land and water constraints are significant.
Brazil and Argentina, for example, have become global leaders in exports of soybeans, maize and beef. Their ratios are pushed upward by highly mechanised, large-scale farms oriented towards world markets. Australia and Canada also combine low population density with export-focused grain and livestock sectors. By contrast, France and the United States have large and relatively affluent populations but still achieve self-sufficiency ratios well above 100 percent thanks to high yields, intensive livestock production and diversified crop portfolios.
It is important to stress that the ratio is a broad indicator based on aggregate calories or value. A country can be self-sufficient in calories while still depending heavily on imports for specific food groups such as fruits, vegetable oils or protein-rich feeds. Likewise, some high-income importers choose to rely on trade for land-intensive or water-intensive products, even if they could in principle achieve higher self-sufficiency at greater environmental or economic cost.
Table 2. Trade status and key food export products, Top 10 countries
The table below summarises whether each Top 10 country is a net food exporter or importer, and lists a few of the main products that shape its self-sufficiency profile.
| Country | Trade status | Key export-oriented food products |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Net food exporter | Soybeans, beef, poultry, sugar, maize |
| Argentina | Net food exporter | Soy products, maize, wheat, beef |
| Australia | Net food exporter | Wheat, barley, beef, lamb, dairy |
| Canada | Net food exporter | Wheat, canola, pork, pulses |
| United States | Net food exporter | Maize, soybeans, meat, processed foods |
| Ukraine | Net food exporter | Wheat, maize, sunflower oil |
| France | Net food exporter | Wheat, dairy, wine, processed foods |
| Thailand | Net food exporter | Rice, sugar, seafood, processed foods |
| Vietnam | Net food exporter | Rice, coffee, seafood, pepper |
| Russia | Net food exporter | Wheat, barley, sunflower oil |
All Top 10 countries are net food exporters, but the composition of exports varies widely. Some specialise in bulk grains and oilseeds, others in higher-value products such as meat, dairy or processed foods. This composition matters for resilience: reliance on a narrow export basket can create vulnerabilities if prices or yields in that segment collapse.
High surplus, local risk: internal inequalities and climate exposure
Strong self-sufficiency at the national level can coexist with pockets of food insecurity at the local level. In Brazil and the United States, for instance, low-income households may face difficulties in accessing healthy diets, even though national production far exceeds domestic needs. Urban food deserts, volatile prices, and inadequate social safety nets can all undermine food security.
Climate change adds another layer of risk. Many Top 10 exporters depend heavily on rain-fed agriculture in climate-sensitive regions, or on irrigation systems that compete with other water users. A sequence of droughts, floods or heatwaves can rapidly erode surplus and reduce export capacity, with knock-on effects on global markets and on importing countries that rely on these suppliers.
Policy responses increasingly focus on diversification – not only of crops and export markets, but also of supply chains and storage infrastructure. Investments in climate-resilient seeds, improved water management, early-warning systems and social protection can help ensure that high self-sufficiency ratios translate into stable and equitable food access over time.
Food self-sufficiency over time: stability, shocks and structural change
Food self-sufficiency ratios are not fixed. They respond to shifts in production, consumption patterns, trade policy and macroeconomic conditions. Over the last quarter century, many traditional exporters have seen their ratios remain relatively stable or rise moderately, while some import-dependent countries have sought to reduce vulnerability by boosting domestic production.
The line chart below tracks the ratio for four countries with distinct trajectories between 2000 and 2025: Brazil, France, Thailand and Egypt. Brazil illustrates the consolidation of an export powerhouse as production expanded faster than domestic demand. France shows a high but relatively stable ratio in a densely populated, high-income context. Thailand’s rise reflects sustained growth in rice production and diversification into higher value processed foods. Egypt, by contrast, remains a structurally food-importing country, with a ratio below 60 percent despite significant efforts to increase domestic output.
These trajectories highlight that self-sufficiency is shaped not only by agronomic potential, but also by policy choices: input subsidies, trade tariffs, investment in irrigation, research and extension services, and broader macroeconomic conditions that influence exchange rates and purchasing power.
Chart 2. Food self-sufficiency ratio, selected countries, 2000–2025
Each line represents the food self-sufficiency ratio over time. The comparison illustrates how exporters and import-dependent countries have experienced different combinations of structural trends and short-term shocks.
Balancing openness and resilience in food systems
From a global welfare perspective, complete food autarky is neither realistic nor desirable. International trade allows food to flow from surplus regions to deficit regions, smooths local production shocks, and enables consumers to access more diverse diets. For many countries with limited land and water resources, importing food is more efficient than striving for self-sufficiency at any cost.
At the same time, recent crises – including the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather events and geopolitical tensions – have exposed the risks of excessive dependence on a small set of foreign suppliers or chokepoints in maritime trade. The policy challenge is therefore to strike a balance between openness and resilience: diversifying import sources, maintaining adequate strategic reserves, supporting regional trade arrangements, and investing in domestic production where it is economically and environmentally sound.
For high self-sufficiency countries, the main questions are how to manage their role as “breadbaskets” of the world without degrading soils, water resources and biodiversity, and how to ensure that export-oriented growth translates into improved nutrition and livelihoods for their own populations. For import-dependent countries, the priority is to combine targeted productivity gains with strong social protection and careful management of trade and foreign-exchange risks.
How food self-sufficiency is measured: data, assumptions and caveats
Food self-sufficiency ratios in international databases are typically computed as the ratio of “food production” to “food supply” in calorie terms or monetary value. Production is derived from agricultural output statistics, adjusted for feed use, seed, processing and waste. Food supply is based on apparent consumption calculated as production plus imports, minus exports and non-food uses.
Each step involves assumptions. Post-harvest losses and on-farm consumption are difficult to measure. Processed foods complicate the mapping from raw commodities to final calories. For some countries, gaps in customs data or inconsistencies between production and trade statistics require modelling and imputation. As a result, self-sufficiency ratios should be interpreted as indicative rather than precise point estimates.
Analysts should also keep in mind that food security is multidimensional. Availability (to which self-sufficiency speaks) is only one pillar, alongside physical and economic access, utilisation (nutrition and health) and stability over time. A comprehensive assessment of food systems therefore combines self-sufficiency ratios with indicators on hunger and malnutrition, price volatility, diet quality, and environmental sustainability.
Primary data sources for this overview
The patterns and examples discussed in this section are grounded in international datasets that compile national statistics on agricultural production, trade and food balances. Exact rankings and values may vary between sources and vintages, but the overall picture of surplus exporters and structurally import-dependent countries is robust.
- FAO, FAOSTAT and FAO Food Balance Sheets. Data on production, trade, food supply and food balance indicators, including calories per capita and derived measures of self-sufficiency: https://www.fao.org/faostat.
- OECD, Agricultural Outlook and related databases. Harmonised series on production, consumption and trade for major commodities in OECD and partner countries: https://stats.oecd.org.
- World Bank, World Development Indicators. Selected indicators on agricultural value added, cereal yields and food imports as a share of merchandise imports: https://databank.worldbank.org.
Top 10 countries by food self-sufficiency ratio: tables and charts (ZIP)
This archive contains ready-to-use Excel tables and static charts for the food self-sufficiency ratio of the Top 10 surplus exporters in 2025, plus a time series for selected countries from 2000 to 2025. You can reuse these assets in reports, slide decks or internal dashboards.
