Share of cereals allocated to human food in India
India: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 85.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of cereals allocated to human food in India, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share of cereals allocated to human food in India stood at 85.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food in India peaked at 99.0% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 84.6%, in 2022.
India ranks 53rd of 191 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 98.8% | 98.6% | 98.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 98.7% | 98.5% | 98.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 98.8% | 98.8% | 99.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 96.5% | 96.1% | 97.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 95.7% | 95.2% | 96.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.6% | 91.5% | 95.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.7% | 84.6% | 89.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 642.24 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 16.2% (2025)
- Rural population 941.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 64.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 107.67 million hectares (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of cereals allocated to human food in India?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food in India was 85.6% 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 recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 99.0% in 1987.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.6% in 2022.
- How does India rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- India ranks 53rd out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of cereals available for domestic use – after accounting for trade – that is allocated to direct human consumption, relative to the total used for human food, animal feed, and industrial purposes. This excludes cereals used for seed, processing, and losses.