Food Waste by Country 2025

Highlighted Countries (total and per capita food waste, 2024)

China

The gross amount of food waste in China exceeds 108 million tons annually, as of 2024. 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. Per capita, about 76 kg of food is wasted each year.

India

The gross amount of food waste for India exceeds 78 million tons. Much like China, India’s sheer population numbers unsurprisingly result in larger amounts of unused food. About 54 kg of food is wasted per Indian annually.

Pakistan

In Pakistan, almost 31 million tons of food was wasted in the year 2024. Per capita, Pakistanis waste as much food as Chinese and Indians combined, at 122 kg in a year.

Nigeria

Nigeria wasted 24.8 million tons of food in 2024. That was about 106 kg per capita. The biggest reasons for food waste in Nigeria are poor storage facilities, inefficient transportation, and limited access to markets, causing much of the harvest to spoil before it ever reaches consumers.

United States

The gross amount of food waste in the US exceeds 24 million tons per year. That’s about 71 kg per capita. 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.

Brazil

The gross amount of food waste in Brazil exceeds 20 million tons. The per capita amount is about 95 kg per year. In Brazil, most food waste happens during harvesting, storage, and transportation, where infrastructure gaps and handling losses cause large amounts of food to spoil before reaching store shelves.

Egypt

In Egypt, the gross amount of food waste exceeds 18 million tons. That is about 155 kg per capita, placing Egypt as one of the top food wasting countries per capita in the world.

Indonesia

The gross amount of food waste in Indonesia is almost 15 million tons. The amount per capita is almost 52 kg. In Indonesia, food waste is driven largely by inefficient supply chains, poor storage practices, and consumer habits like over-purchasing and improper food handling at home.

Bangladesh

The gross amount of food waste in Bangladesh is just over 4 million tons annually. Per capita, that is about 82 kg per year. In Bangladesh, food waste is mainly caused by outdated farming methods, lack of cold storage, and spoilage during transportation to crowded urban markets.

Mexico

The gross amount of food waste in Mexico is about 13.4 million tons. Per capita, this amounts to 102 kg of food wasted each year. In Mexico, food waste is largely the result of inefficient distribution networks, supply chain losses, and consumer practices like discarding food that is still safe to eat.