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The enormous scale of global food waste

China is the largest contributor among those surveyed, producing over 108 million tonnes of household food waste each year.

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by WILLIAM WANYOIKE

Infographics08 October 2025 - 13:54
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In Summary


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    The scale of global food waste generated by households is enormous, with a select group of countries contributing hundreds of millions of tonnes annually.

    China is the largest contributor among those surveyed, producing over 108 million tonnes of household food waste each year (108,667,369 tonnes).

    India follows as the second-highest source, with annual household waste totalling over 78 million tonnes (78,192,338 tonnes).

    Significantly behind the top two, the United States discards over 24 million tonnes (24,716,539 tonnes). Brazil is also a major contributor at over 20 million tonnes (20,289,630 tonnes), and Indonesia adds nearly 15 million tonnes (14,728,364 tonnes).

    Even countries with lower overall volumes, such as the Russian Federation (4,829,772 tonnes), South Africa (2,819,981 tonnes), and Ghana (2,812,571 tonnes), contribute millions of tonnes to the global total.

    This data, sourced from Statista, highlights the immense challenge in reducing waste and improving food security worldwide.

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