TOP 10 Countries by Staple Crop Output per Capita (2025)

by admin November 14, 2025 839 23 min read

FOOD SECURITY · STAPLE CROPS PER CAPITA

Top 10 Countries by Staple Crop Output per Capita (2025 Snapshot)

Staple crops — mainly wheat, rice and maize plus other cereals — still supply a large share of calories globally. A per-capita lens highlights countries that produce large cereal surpluses relative to population and therefore tend to matter disproportionately for export availability and market stability.

Metric: cereal output per capita Unit: kg per person per year Coverage: wheat, rice (paddy), maize & other cereals Snapshot label: 2025 (latest available multi-year window)

Key takeaways

Per-capita output concentrates among countries with strong cereal sectors and smaller populations.
Europe’s cereal belt shows up prominently (Baltics / Central & Eastern Europe).
Frontier exporters (Argentina, Canada, Australia, Kazakhstan) shape global availability when weather shocks hit.
High per-capita output is not the same as household food security (exports, feed, biofuels, losses).

Definition. “Staple crop output per capita” here means total cereal production divided by mid-year population, expressed in kilograms per person. Values are rounded and intended for dashboard use; exact figures vary with reference year, data revisions, and cereal coverage.

Next: Table →

How this 2025 per-capita ranking is built

International agriculture statistics typically group staple grains under cereals. To approximate a “2025 snapshot”, the ranking uses the most recent FAO-style cereal production window commonly available around 2023–2024 (released with a lag) and treats it as the latest stable view for comparison.

Step 1 — Cereal production

Use total cereals production (wheat, rice, maize, barley, rye, oats, millet/sorghum and other minor cereals where available).

Step 2 — Convert to per capita

Compute: kg/person/year = (tonnes × 1,000) ÷ population.

Step 3 — Keep it trade-relevant

Exclude micro-states to keep the list focused on countries that can plausibly affect regional or global grain flows.

Global benchmark for the toggle: the “vs global avg (%)” view uses an approximate world cereal output benchmark of 375 kg/person/year (rounded; derived from ~3.0 bn tonnes global cereals divided by ~8.0 bn people).

Next: Table →

Table 1. Top countries by staple crop output per capita (2025 snapshot)

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Showing all countries · Global benchmark: 375 kg/person/year

Rank	Country	Staple crop output per capita (kg/person/year)	Typical cereal trade position
1	Lithuania	2,700 720.00%	Large net exporter within the EU (wheat & other cereals).
2	Argentina	2,200 586.67%	Major global exporter of maize and wheat; surplus producer.
3	Hungary	2,000 533.33%	Strong maize & wheat surplus in Central Europe; frequent net exporter.
4	Canada	1,900 506.67%	Key exporter of wheat & barley; major supplier to world markets.
5	Serbia	1,900 506.67%	Regional exporter of maize and wheat in the Western Balkans.
6	Denmark	1,700 453.33%	High-yield feed-grain producer; surplus tied to intensive livestock systems.
7	Kazakhstan	1,300 346.67%	Large exporter of wheat & flour across Eurasia via rail corridors.
8	Australia	1,100 293.33%	Major wheat & barley exporter; volumes swing with drought cycles.
9	Poland	1,100 293.33%	Large EU grain producer; recurring surplus supports regional exports.
10	Romania	1,100 293.33%	Black Sea exporter; wheat & maize shipments exceed domestic demand.

Updated: 2026-01-28. Values are rounded “dashboard” estimates aligned with recent FAO-style cereal production ranges. Per-capita output does not imply domestic consumption; exports, feed, biofuels and losses can be substantial.

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Chart 1. Staple crop output per capita — Top 10

The chart mirrors the table. Use the toggle to switch between Units (kg/person/year) and vs global avg (%) (index relative to the global benchmark).

Chart fallback (table-style list)

Lithuania — 2,700 kg/person/year
Argentina — 2,200 kg/person/year
Hungary — 2,000 kg/person/year
Canada — 1,900 kg/person/year
Serbia — 1,900 kg/person/year
Denmark — 1,700 kg/person/year
Kazakhstan — 1,300 kg/person/year
Australia — 1,100 kg/person/year
Poland — 1,100 kg/person/year
Romania — 1,100 kg/person/year

Next: Insights → · Back to table ↑

What this ranking tells us about export capacity and food-security risk

1) Per-capita surplus is about “exportable slack”

Countries producing one to three tonnes of cereals per person typically have room to supply external markets after meeting domestic food and feed needs. That matters because many import-dependent economies can’t easily replace a lost supplier in the short run when weather, logistics or policy disruptions hit.

2) Europe’s grain belt shows up strongly

Lithuania, Hungary, Poland and Romania combine high yields with market access. For global risk analysis, that makes logistics (ports, rail corridors, river levels, and storage capacity) almost as important as agronomy.

3) “Frontier exporters” amplify climate volatility

Argentina, Canada, Australia and Kazakhstan cover huge land areas with comparatively smaller populations. When multi-year droughts or heat waves hit these systems, global balance sheets tighten quickly — even if other producers have average harvests.

4) Per-capita output is not household food security

High national output does not guarantee that all households have secure access to food. Distribution, incomes, infrastructure, price dynamics, and social protection remain essential for real food security outcomes.

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FAQ: staple crop output per capita

What exactly is included in “staple crops” here?

This page uses the standard “cereals” umbrella: wheat, rice (paddy), maize plus barley, rye, oats, sorghum, millet and other minor cereals (depending on data availability).

Does a high per-capita value mean people eat better?

Not necessarily. A large share of cereals can be exported, used as animal feed, processed into industrial products (including biofuels), or lost/wasted along the chain.

Why do smaller countries often rank higher?

The denominator matters: a strong cereal sector combined with a smaller population can push output per person far above global averages, even if the country is not a top producer in total tonnes.

How stable are these ranks year to year?

Weather can swing harvests significantly. Multi-year averages are typically more informative than a single harvest year peak, especially for drought-prone exporters.

Why are trade position notes “typical” rather than exact?

Net export/import status can flip in unusual years due to shocks, price signals, or policy restrictions. The notes summarize common patterns observed over multiple years.

What’s the difference between “Units” and “vs global avg (%)”?

“Units” shows kg/person/year. “vs global avg (%)” shows an index relative to the global benchmark in this article (default 375 kg/person/year). For example, 200% means roughly double the global benchmark.

What should I use alongside this metric for a stronger food-security view?

Combine per-capita production with trade flows, stock levels, yield trends, harvested area, domestic price indices, poverty and nutrition indicators — plus logistics constraints for key corridors.

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Primary sources and further reading

For reproducible work, record the reference year(s), cereal coverage and population series used. Official datasets below provide country production time series and global market context.