Food Waste by Country 2024

China

The gross amount of food waste in China exceeds 91 million tons. The large quantities of food waste reported by China, while considerable, probably shouldn't be too much of a surprise for the world's most populous country.

India

The gross amount of food waste for India exceeds 68 million tons. Much like China, India's sheer population numbers unsurprisingly result in larger amounts of unused food.

United States

The gross amount of food waste in the US exceeds 19 million tons. While other countries can cite population numbers as the inherent reason for food waste, the US can't make that claim. For the most powerful nation on earth, food waste is a result of being the world's largest consumer of food.

Japan

The gross amount of food waste in Japan exceeds 8 million tons. Although Japan can't make the same population boasts as larger countries, it is a densely populated land. That is also the primary culprit for Japan's large food waste numbers.

Germany

The gross amount of food waste in Germany exceeds 6 million tons. Germany, like several other European nations, owes its food waste excess to both size and wealth.

France

The gross amount of food waste in France exceeds 5 million tons. Known for its love of food and baked goods, France is less known for its food waste, a problem it shares with fellow European nations.

United Kingdom

The gross amount of food waste in the UK exceeds 5 million tons. Even the most regal of countries are not immune to the issue of food waste, and the UK is exhibit number one.

Russia

The gross amount of food waste in Russia exceeds 4 million tons. Russia's food waste excess is in large part due to the size and number of people that live in this vast country.

Spain

The gross amount of food waste in Spain exceeds 3 million tons. The country of Spain is well known for its celebrations and food, but much of that food becomes waste, also putting Spain on the food waste by country list.

Australia

The gross amount of food waste in Australia exceeds 2 million tons. Arguably one of the more surprising countries on the list, Australia rounds out the food waste by country list. What makes Australia such an unexpected member of the food-waste club is that Australia is also a world leader in green energy and conservation efforts.