Share of cereals allocated to human food in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 40.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of cereals allocated to human food in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom stood at 40.9%. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 21.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food in United Kingdom peaked at 40.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 26.0%, in 1972.
That places United Kingdom 141st out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of cereals allocated to human food in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 35.5% | — |
| 1962 | 30.8% | -13.3% |
| 1963 | 32.5% | +5.3% |
| 1964 | 29.9% | -7.9% |
| 1965 | 29.0% | -2.9% |
| 1966 | 30.9% | +6.5% |
| 1967 | 27.9% | -9.8% |
| 1968 | 27.5% | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 28.1% | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 28.3% | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 26.9% | -4.9% |
| 1972 | 26.0% | -3.3% |
| 1973 | 27.8% | +7.1% |
| 1974 | 27.6% | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 29.8% | +7.9% |
| 1976 | 29.1% | -2.4% |
| 1977 | 29.5% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 28.9% | -2.1% |
| 1979 | 29.0% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 30.8% | +6.0% |
| 1981 | 32.4% | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 29.5% | -8.9% |
| 1983 | 30.6% | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 31.3% | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 33.3% | +6.4% |
| 1986 | 30.5% | -8.5% |
| 1987 | 31.4% | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 33.4% | +6.5% |
| 1989 | 33.8% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 34.4% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 36.1% | +5.0% |
| 1992 | 36.2% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 37.6% | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 34.8% | -7.3% |
| 1995 | 34.7% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 34.8% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 36.4% | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 37.8% | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 38.1% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 36.4% | -4.6% |
| 2001 | 35.4% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 37.7% | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 38.9% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 38.4% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 39.0% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 38.9% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 40.4% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 39.1% | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 39.7% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 38.1% | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 39.2% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 36.0% | -8.2% |
| 2013 | 33.6% | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 38.3% | +13.7% |
| 2015 | 38.2% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 38.1% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 38.1% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 38.2% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 39.5% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 38.2% | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 36.8% | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 39.5% | +7.4% |
| 2023 | 40.9% | +3.4% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 40.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.1%, 1.1× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 40.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 31.9%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30.2% | 27.5% | 35.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 28.3% | 26.0% | 29.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.7% | 29.5% | 33.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 36.1% | 34.4% | 38.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 38.4% | 35.4% | 40.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.7% | 33.6% | 39.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.8% | 36.8% | 40.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More agriculture & rural data for United Kingdom
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0064 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 368.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1852 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1668 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of cereals allocated to human food in United Kingdom?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food in United Kingdom was 40.9% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 40.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.0% in 1972.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- United Kingdom ranks 141st out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.