Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita in Australia
Australia: Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita was 20.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita in Australia is 20.4%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.4% on the previous year and down 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita in Australia peaked at 53.5% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 13.3%, in 2005.
That places Australia 184th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 53.5% | — |
| 1962 | 45.8% | -14.4% |
| 1963 | 40.4% | -11.8% |
| 1964 | 42.9% | +6.3% |
| 1965 | 44.4% | +3.4% |
| 1966 | 42.3% | -4.8% |
| 1967 | 43.9% | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 38.8% | -11.5% |
| 1969 | 34.9% | -10.1% |
| 1970 | 32.9% | -5.7% |
| 1971 | 33.2% | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 40.5% | +21.9% |
| 1973 | 36.3% | -10.4% |
| 1974 | 36.8% | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 35.5% | -3.4% |
| 1976 | 38.5% | +8.4% |
| 1977 | 39.7% | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 29.9% | -24.5% |
| 1979 | 30.4% | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 36.3% | +19.4% |
| 1981 | 33.0% | -9.3% |
| 1982 | 35.0% | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 30.1% | -14.1% |
| 1984 | 31.2% | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 33.4% | +7.1% |
| 1986 | 30.7% | -8.2% |
| 1987 | 28.9% | -5.9% |
| 1988 | 24.5% | -15.2% |
| 1989 | 24.4% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 22.9% | -5.9% |
| 1991 | 26.3% | +14.6% |
| 1992 | 18.9% | -28.0% |
| 1993 | 20.2% | +6.9% |
| 1994 | 27.0% | +33.3% |
| 1995 | 19.2% | -28.7% |
| 1996 | 19.6% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 18.7% | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 18.0% | -3.8% |
| 1999 | 17.8% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 17.4% | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 16.8% | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 18.7% | +11.3% |
| 2003 | 15.7% | -15.9% |
| 2004 | 15.4% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 13.3% | -14.0% |
| 2006 | 13.7% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 15.2% | +11.5% |
| 2008 | 15.6% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 19.8% | +26.2% |
| 2010 | 18.4% | -6.7% |
| 2011 | 21.7% | +17.5% |
| 2012 | 21.3% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 25.5% | +19.5% |
| 2014 | 23.9% | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 25.2% | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 23.5% | -6.6% |
| 2017 | 21.2% | -9.9% |
| 2018 | 19.5% | -8.0% |
| 2019 | 18.4% | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 24.2% | +31.5% |
| 2021 | 25.2% | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 23.5% | -6.8% |
| 2023 | 20.4% | -13.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 20.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 38.1%, 54% of the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Australia's 20.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 76.1%, 27% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 43.0% | 34.9% | 53.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 35.4% | 29.9% | 40.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.7% | 24.4% | 36.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.8% | 17.8% | 27.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.2% | 13.3% | 19.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.9% | 18.4% | 25.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.3% | 20.4% | 25.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita in Australia?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita in Australia was 20.4% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 53.5% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.3% in 2005.
- How does Australia rank for share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita?
- Australia ranks 184th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of domestic cereal supply allocated to direct human food, rather than animal feed or biofuels. GDP is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs across countries.