Share of cereals allocated to human food in Spain
Spain: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 16.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Spain, 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 Spain stood at 16.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.1% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food in Spain peaked at 55.6% in 1962 and was at its lowest, 14.1%, in 2007.
Spain ranks 187th 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 Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 55.1% | — |
| 1962 | 55.6% | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 46.6% | -16.1% |
| 1964 | 44.2% | -5.2% |
| 1965 | 43.4% | -1.8% |
| 1966 | 39.8% | -8.3% |
| 1967 | 36.1% | -9.3% |
| 1968 | 34.2% | -5.3% |
| 1969 | 31.2% | -8.7% |
| 1970 | 31.8% | +1.9% |
| 1971 | 26.3% | -17.4% |
| 1972 | 27.4% | +4.3% |
| 1973 | 25.2% | -8.1% |
| 1974 | 23.6% | -6.1% |
| 1975 | 24.6% | +3.9% |
| 1976 | 26.8% | +9.1% |
| 1977 | 26.1% | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 22.9% | -12.3% |
| 1979 | 21.6% | -5.7% |
| 1980 | 21.2% | -1.8% |
| 1981 | 20.7% | -2.1% |
| 1982 | 21.1% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 19.4% | -8.0% |
| 1984 | 18.2% | -5.8% |
| 1985 | 19.5% | +7.1% |
| 1986 | 20.7% | +5.9% |
| 1987 | 21.4% | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 21.6% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 21.8% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 22.1% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 23.2% | +4.9% |
| 1992 | 24.4% | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 23.5% | -3.8% |
| 1994 | 24.0% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 23.9% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 19.8% | -17.1% |
| 1997 | 17.8% | -10.2% |
| 1998 | 16.3% | -8.4% |
| 1999 | 17.3% | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 16.9% | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 16.6% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 15.8% | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 14.1% | -10.3% |
| 2004 | 14.9% | +5.3% |
| 2005 | 16.3% | +9.2% |
| 2006 | 15.1% | -7.2% |
| 2007 | 14.1% | -6.8% |
| 2008 | 15.3% | +8.5% |
| 2009 | 16.8% | +10.2% |
| 2010 | 17.6% | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 17.5% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 19.1% | +8.9% |
| 2013 | 16.3% | -14.5% |
| 2014 | 17.8% | +8.9% |
| 2015 | 17.5% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 17.8% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 18.0% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 15.4% | -14.6% |
| 2019 | 15.3% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 14.9% | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 15.8% | +6.1% |
| 2022 | 15.4% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 16.0% | +4.1% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 16.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 38.1%, 42% of the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Spain's 16.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 31.9%, 50% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 42.9% | 31.2% | 55.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 25.6% | 21.6% | 31.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.6% | 18.2% | 21.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.2% | 16.3% | 24.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.6% | 14.1% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.2% | 15.3% | 19.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.5% | 14.9% | 16.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More agriculture & rural data for Spain
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0268 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,036 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0113 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1949 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of cereals allocated to human food in Spain?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food in Spain was 16.0% 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 55.6% in 1962.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.1% in 2007.
- How does Spain rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- Spain ranks 187th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.