Barley Production by Country 2024

Barley is a type of grass grown in temperate areas around the world. It is a vital crop used in food for both people and animals. In fact, it ranked as the fourth most-grown grain after corn, rice, and wheat.

Common Barley Uses

While humans and animals can consume barley, most production goes to animal feed. The percentage of barley used for this purpose depends on the country, but the worldwide average is 70% of the barely produced becomes animal feed.

The remaining 30% of global barley production goes toward human use for food or malt. Barley malt is a vital component of many types of whiskey and beer. Of the portion of barley used for human consumption, 90% goes toward malt production.

As a food, some countries have a longer tradition of eating barley than others. Globally, Morocco consumes the most barley in food products

Barley straw provides minor uses in animal feed and bedding.

Barley Growing

Farmers can plant barley in the spring or fall for a summer harvest. Some places, such as the United States and Ukraine, will have two plantings in both spring and fall to increase the summer harvest.

Most places in the Northern Hemisphere have completed harvests of barley by the beginning of October while Southern Hemisphere locations complete harvest by February, during their summer.

Global Barley Production

Worldwide production of barley for 2023 was 141 million metric tons. However, the previous year from 2022, the world grew 151 million metric tons. In 2021, production fell between the two values at 145 million metric tons.

Countries with the Greatest Barley Production

Locations that grew the greatest amount of barley depend on the source. For example, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) combines countries of the European Union (EU) in its calculations. Per this information, the EU produced the most barley in 2023, 48 million metric tons or 34% of the world's production. The EU also topped the list in 2021, growing 52 million metric tons.

Another source, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, separates out the EU countries. That source's most recent data for 2023 comes from 2021. In that year, Russia grew the most barley, 17.99 million metric tons.

Places that Grew the Least Amounts of Barley

Among countries that had reported or estimated values for barley production in 2021, Guatemala produced the least, 18.14 metric tons. Qatar produced 115 metric tons for second-to-last position in 2021.