How many tons of food are wasted worldwide each year?

World hard Data from 2024

Guess before you scroll — the answer is below

Answer in tons. Shorthand like 9m or 1.2bn works.

The answer

1,050,000,000 tons

Roughly 1.1B.

Over a billion tonnes of food is wasted each year — roughly a fifth of everything available to consumers. Households throw away the largest share, ahead of restaurants and shops. If food waste were a country it would be the third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Where this number comes from

Source UNEP Food Waste Index Report
Figure refers to 2024
Last checked
Unit tons

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