Share of cereals allocated to human food in Japan
Japan: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 50.5% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Japan, 1961–2022
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 in Japan is 50.5%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food in Japan peaked at 78.8% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 44.6%, in 1987.
Japan ranks 121st of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 78.8% | — |
| 1962 | 77.3% | -1.9% |
| 1963 | 76.8% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 73.7% | -4.1% |
| 1965 | 72.2% | -2.0% |
| 1966 | 68.3% | -5.5% |
| 1967 | 67.0% | -1.9% |
| 1968 | 65.1% | -2.8% |
| 1969 | 61.6% | -5.5% |
| 1970 | 59.3% | -3.7% |
| 1971 | 57.7% | -2.7% |
| 1972 | 55.6% | -3.7% |
| 1973 | 55.4% | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 55.5% | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 56.2% | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 54.9% | -2.3% |
| 1977 | 51.2% | -6.7% |
| 1978 | 48.9% | -4.4% |
| 1979 | 47.1% | -3.9% |
| 1980 | 47.2% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 48.5% | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 48.1% | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 48.0% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 46.4% | -3.4% |
| 1985 | 46.7% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 45.3% | -2.9% |
| 1987 | 44.6% | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 45.4% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 46.1% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 46.0% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 46.0% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 46.1% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 45.9% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 46.3% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 46.0% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 47.6% | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 47.0% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 46.5% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 47.6% | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 48.2% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 48.1% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 47.2% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 47.0% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 48.0% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 47.9% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 47.3% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 48.2% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 47.0% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 45.4% | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 51.4% | +13.1% |
| 2011 | 51.8% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 52.7% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 50.9% | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 54.8% | +7.7% |
| 2015 | 55.5% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 55.2% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 55.8% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 53.5% | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 52.5% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 51.1% | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 51.3% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 50.5% | -1.6% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 50.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.1%, 1.3× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Japan's 50.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 76.1%, 66% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 71.2% | 61.6% | 78.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 54.2% | 47.1% | 59.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.6% | 44.6% | 48.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.5% | 45.9% | 47.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.4% | 45.4% | 48.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.4% | 50.9% | 55.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.0% | 50.5% | 51.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 118 East Timor 51.5% compare
- 119 El Salvador 51.4% compare
- 120 Saudi Arabia 51.3% compare
- 122 Montenegro 49.6% compare
- 123 Namibia 49.0% compare
- 124 Bolivia 48.6% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Japan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0096 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 323.87 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of cereals allocated to human food in Japan?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food in Japan was 50.5% in 2022, 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 78.8% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.6% in 1987.
- How does Japan rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- Japan ranks 121st out of 192 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.