Which Country Eats The Most Rice?

There may be no tougher food competition in the world than which country eats the most rice. The grain is more than just a staple, it is the single most consumed food in the entire world in terms of calories, with almost 20% of all nutrition coming from rice. It is the main source of food for 3.5 billion people — more than 40% of the entire world's population — and is still a widely popular grain in countries where it isn't the main staple. Originating in East Asia, it should be no surprise that almost all of the largest producers of rice, and the largest consumers of rice come from the region. Due to sheer size alone China dominates both categories overall, but when it comes to per person consumption, nobody eats more rice than the people of Myanmar.

Located between China, India, and Thailand, the Myanmar is square in the middle of the world cradle of rice production. According to data from World Population Review, the people of Myanmar consume 279 kilograms of rice per person every year, which is almost 620 pounds. That's more than a pound and a half of rice per day. The small African island nation of Comoros is a close second at 275 kilograms per capita, and Gambia is third at 256. The rest of the top ten is dominated by Myanmar's regional neighbors, including Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Laos, but none of them really come close to Myanmar's love of rice.

With a warm tropical monsoon climate and countryside with many lowlands and large rivers, Myanmar is uniquely suited to producing rice, but that isn't the only explanation for its unusually high consumption. While rice has been a part of the area's culinary heritage for thousands of years, Myanmar's government also pursued a deliberate policy of upping rice production. In the 1960s, the socialist government of the time honed in on rice as a way to increase the nation's food production and has provided loans and infrastructure specifically tailored to produce it, even at the expense of some of Myanmar's other traditional foods. By the end of the 2010s rice accounted for one-third of all the country's farmland, and two-third of all its calorie consumption.

Today, Myanmar is the seventh largest producer of rice in the world, despite only being the 27th largest country by population. To put that in perspective, Myanmar consumes more than twice as much rice per person than China, and almost three times more than India, the world's two largest producers. Rice is consumed at most meals, often accompanied by many different types of curry, although it's also served in plenty of other forms like flavored rice balls. So if you need a new rice recipe to try out, the cuisine of Myanmar is a great place to start exploring.