In the 2022/2023 crop year, China produced about 146 million metric tons of milled rice, a higher volume than any other country. India came in second place with over 135 million metric tons of milled rice in that crop year.

Milled rice

After the rice is grown and harvested from rice paddies, it undergoes a process to prepare it for human consumption, known as milling. Milling removes the rice husk and bran layers, and the end product is the rice that can be found in your local grocery store or supermarket. The estimated total volume of milled rice produced worldwide reached over 502 million metric tons in the 2022/2023 crop year.

Rice consumption worldwide

The top rice consuming countries are China, India, and Bangladesh in that order. In 2022/2023, China’s rice consumption amounted to over 154 million metric tons. The per capita consumption of rice worldwide has remained remarkably stable since the year 2000, and amounted to about 53.9 kilograms per year in 2018/2019.

Rice is one of the most widely consumed grains in the world. As the most populous country in the world, China also consumes more rice than any other country, with about *** million metric tons consumed in 2024/2025. Following China, India is ranked second with *** million metric tons of rice consumed in the same period. Rice production Rice requires very specific conditions in order to flourish. It must be grown in a field flooded with several inches of water, known as a paddy field. Unsurprisingly, China and India also top the list as the biggest producers of rice worldwide. Rice has such a neutral flavor that it can be integrated into almost any kind of dish, paired with virtually any flavor. In China, rice is often steamed and served alongside stir-fried meat and vegetables. Rice varieties Though there are dozens of varieties of rice grown and consumed across globe, the three most prominent types of rice are indica, japonica, and aromatic. The price index of all rice, however, has increased by over ** points since 2016.

This statistic shows the world rice acreage in crop years 2010 to 2023. In crop year 2023, there were around 168 million hectares of rice-cultivated area worldwide. India was estimated to be the leading global producer of rice and to harvest about 47 million hectares of rice.

This statistic shows the worldwide production of grain in 2024/25, sorted by type. In that year, worldwide wheat production came to about 793.24 million metric tons. The most important grain was corn, based on a production amount of over 1.2 billion metric tons. Grain Humans have been harvesting the small, dry seeds known as grain for thousands of years. The two main categories of grains are cereals, such as wheat, rye, and corn, and legumes, such as beans, lentils, peanuts and soybeans. Many grains are capable of being stored for long periods of time, easily transported over long distances, processed into flour, oil, and gas, and consumed by animals and humans. Most grain in the U.S. is used as animal feed, while slightly less is converted into ethanol. The smallest portion is consumed by humans. There has been recent debate about the health and ethics of grain feeding animals such as cows, goats, and sheep, animals biologically better suited to consuming grass. Though more cost effective than grass feeding, some argue this practice has an adverse effect on the quality of the meat as well as on the health of the animal and the consumer. The use of grains in producing ethanol has increased significantly in recent years. Global ethanol production has tripled since the year 2000. Ethanol is a semi-renewable energy formed by the fermentation of a feedstock, often sugar cane or corn cobs. It can be mixed with gasoline and used as motor vehicle fuel. This hybrid motor fuel emits fewer pollutants than standard gasoline.