Share of cereals allocated to human food in Italy
Italy: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 38.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Italy, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Italy recorded 38.1% for share of cereals allocated to human food in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food in Italy peaked at 58.2% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 36.0%, in 2020.
Italy ranks 148th of 192 countries on this measure, 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 in Italy, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 58.2% | — |
| 1962 | 55.1% | -5.2% |
| 1963 | 50.4% | -8.6% |
| 1964 | 52.1% | +3.5% |
| 1965 | 49.9% | -4.3% |
| 1966 | 49.2% | -1.3% |
| 1967 | 48.2% | -2.0% |
| 1968 | 48.8% | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 48.7% | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 48.2% | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 47.9% | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 47.2% | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 46.5% | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 48.0% | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 47.1% | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 45.8% | -2.7% |
| 1977 | 46.0% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 44.9% | -2.5% |
| 1979 | 46.6% | +3.9% |
| 1980 | 47.1% | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 46.5% | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 47.1% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 42.6% | -9.6% |
| 1984 | 41.5% | -2.6% |
| 1985 | 44.7% | +7.7% |
| 1986 | 44.4% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 44.0% | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 45.8% | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 46.4% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 47.1% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 45.5% | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 43.9% | -3.6% |
| 1993 | 42.4% | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 44.1% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 42.8% | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 40.7% | -4.8% |
| 1997 | 42.3% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 41.3% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 41.0% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 41.4% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 41.1% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 39.6% | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 43.3% | +9.4% |
| 2004 | 36.8% | -15.0% |
| 2005 | 39.3% | +6.9% |
| 2006 | 39.8% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 38.1% | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 39.4% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 43.9% | +11.3% |
| 2010 | 40.6% | -7.4% |
| 2011 | 38.8% | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 38.7% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 38.9% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 36.3% | -6.7% |
| 2015 | 41.0% | +13.0% |
| 2016 | 40.3% | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 40.2% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 38.4% | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 37.4% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 36.0% | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 38.3% | +6.2% |
| 2022 | 37.2% | -2.9% |
| 2023 | 38.1% | +2.4% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 38.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.1%, 1.0× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Italy's 38.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 31.9%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 51.2% | 48.2% | 58.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 46.8% | 44.9% | 48.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 45.0% | 41.5% | 47.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.1% | 40.7% | 47.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.3% | 36.8% | 43.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.0% | 36.3% | 41.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.4% | 36.0% | 38.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More agriculture & rural data for Italy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.12 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0207 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3131 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3032 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of cereals allocated to human food in Italy?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food in Italy was 38.1% 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 58.2% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.0% in 2020.
- How does Italy rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- Italy ranks 148th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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.
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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.