Availability of calories

Per capita amount of energy (kcal) in food available for human consumption per day according to different world regions. The regional aggregates refer to a 3-year average period.

Counting the calories – regional disparities

In 2013, the world produced 5,935 kilocalories of crops per person per day that could be consumed by humans, and an additional 3,812 kcal of vegetable matter produced to be eaten by animals. The dietary energy supply – the food actually available for human consumption after taking out food waste and loss, non-food utilisation such as animal feed and industrial use as well as changes in stocks, is much lower. In 2016 -18 a global average of 2,908 kcal were available for daily human consumption, up from 2,330 kcal fifty years earlier and 2,792 kcal ten years before. In Northern America, a record of 3,752 kcal/person/day were available in 2016 -18 compared to 2,386 kcal in Sub-Saharan Africa. Increases over the past ten years were also unequally distributed: In Southern Asia calorie availability rose by 6%, whereas in Sub-Saharan Africa supply almost stagnated, rising by only 0.6%.