Top 10 Largest Rice Producing Countries

Asian countries produce the most rice internationally, although rice consumption and demand have increased significantly in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. The top 10 rice producing countries in the world are today India, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Pakistan. These countries also consume the most rice, accounting for almost 90% of worldwide rice consumption. Both statistics have been rising over the last few decades, and researchers predict that they will continue to rise in the coming years.

Rice is the fastest-growing staple food in other regions of the world, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where yearly per capita rice consumption has approximately tripled since the 1970s. Rice was only eaten on rare occasions by both urban and rural Sub-Saharan Africans a few decades ago. They have began to consume it on a regular basis in recent years, preferring it over other indigenous crops such as cassava, sweet potatoes, and yams. Countries exhibiting this transition include Niger, Tanzania, and Nigeria, where populations and incomes have risen in recent decades.

Rice consumption has grown by about 40% across the Caribbean and Latin America during the last two decades. This is related, once again, to steadily growing salaries and continued population growth. Rice consumption is increasing significantly in the Middle East, as well as the United States and European Union countries. The increase of the latter is attributed in part to immigration from rice-consuming countries, as well as the increasing globalization of food availability and tastes.