Food waste statistics at a glance
Food waste is one of those problems that looks local at the kitchen counter but adds up globally at enormous scale.
In 2022, the world wasted 1.05 billion tonnes of food across retail, food service, and households, and that total represented 19% of food available to consumers at those stages (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
Fast facts
- Households generated 631 million tonnes of food waste in 2022, or 60% of total food waste (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
- Food service generated 290 million tonnes in 2022 (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
- Retail generated 131 million tonnes in 2022 (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
- The 1.05 billion tonnes came in addition to an estimated 13% of the world’s food lost in the supply chain from post-harvest up to but excluding retail (FAO food loss and food waste page).
- Average household food waste was 79 kilograms per capita per year globally in 2022 (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
Big number: The household sector alone accounted for more than half of measured food waste globally in 2022 (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
Food waste statistics table: the main sectors
The cleanest way to read the 2022 data is to separate the consumer-facing sectors that UNEP measured.
| Sector | Food waste in 2022 | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Households | 631 million tonnes (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024) | 60% (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024) |
| Food service | 290 million tonnes (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024) | 28% implied from sector totals |
| Retail | 131 million tonnes (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024) | 12% implied from sector totals |
| Total | 1.05 billion tonnes (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024) | 100% |
That table highlights the core pattern: the largest food waste problem is not only the supply chain, but the points where food is purchased, served, and consumed.
Why the split matters
- Households are the dominant source, so behavior at home has the biggest global volume impact (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
- Food service is the second-largest sector, which makes menu design, portioning, storage, and buffet management relevant levers (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
- Retail is smaller than households and food service in total tonnes, but it still represents 131 million tonnes of waste that can be influenced by forecasting, inventory, and date-label practices (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
Household food waste statistics by income group
One of the most striking facts in the dataset is how close household waste levels are across income groups with sufficient data coverage.
| Income group | Household food waste per person per year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| High-income countries | 81 kg (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024) | Highest measured income-group average |
| Upper-middle-income countries | 88 kg (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024) | Slightly above high-income average |
| Lower-middle-income countries | 86 kg (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024) | Very close to upper-middle-income average |
| Low-income countries | 91 kg extrapolated (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024) | Extrapolated household average |
The average household food waste across the three income groups with sufficient coverage ranged from 81 to 88 kilograms per person per year, a spread of only 7 kilograms (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
That spread equals about 128 grams per person per week (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024), which is small enough to be easy to miss and large enough to matter when multiplied across billions of people.
What the income-group pattern suggests
The income-group data does not point to a simple rich-versus-poor divide.
- High-income countries are not dramatically higher than middle-income countries in household waste per person (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
- Upper-middle-income countries averaged 88 kilograms, while lower-middle-income countries averaged 86 kilograms per person per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
- Low-income countries were extrapolated at 91 kilograms per person per year, which is not far from the other group averages (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
The key takeaway is that household food waste is widespread enough that it does not disappear simply because incomes change. The behavior and system drivers seem to persist across a broad range of economies.
Food waste statistics by country
The report estimated food waste for 233 countries or areas, and 249 are in the standard overall when including 16 additional countries or areas in the M49 standard that had no population estimate (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
That makes the country data useful for spotting how household waste differs by place, even when the income-group averages stay clustered.
Selected country estimates
| Country or area | Household food waste per capita | Household food waste estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 98 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 2,559,065 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| New Zealand | 61 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 316,590 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Kazakhstan | 88 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 1,708,990 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Kyrgyzstan | 86 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 568,288 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Tajikistan | 86 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 852,861 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Turkmenistan | 88 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 566,433 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Uzbekistan | 86 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 2,968,299 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
A few patterns stand out immediately:
- Australia is modeled at 98 kilograms per capita per year, above the global household average of 79 kilograms (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3; UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
- New Zealand is modeled at 61 kilograms per capita per year, below the global average (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3; UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
- Several countries in Central Asia cluster around the mid-80s to high-80s kilograms per person per year, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3).
More country snapshots
| Country or area | Household food waste per capita | Household food waste estimate |
|---|---|---|
| China | 76 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 108,667,369 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| China, Hong Kong SAR | Not stated | 101,000 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| China Macao SAR | 76 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 53,016 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Japan | 60 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 7,398,006 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Mongolia | 18 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 60,364 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Republic of Korea | 95 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 4,921,086 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
The contrast here is useful because the per-capita numbers and the total-tonne numbers tell different stories.
- China has a modeled household rate of 76 kilograms per person per year, but its total estimated household food waste is 108,667,369 tonnes per year because of population scale (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3).
- Japan is modeled at 60 kilograms per person per year, yet still reaches 7,398,006 tonnes per year overall (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3).
- Mongolia is the smallest per-capita figure in this subset at 18 kilograms per person per year, showing how much the modeled rates can vary across countries (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3).
Europe and nearby country estimates
| Country or area | Household food waste per capita | Household food waste estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Belarus | 71 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 674,104 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Bulgaria | 26 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 176,280 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Czechia | 69 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 723,810 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Hungary | 66 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 658,020 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Poland | 60 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 2,391,600 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Moldova | 71 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 231,061 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Romania | 67 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 1,323,991 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Russia | 33 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 4,829,772 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Slovakia | 65 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 366,600 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
| Ukraine | 69 kg per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) | 2,758,037 tonnes per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3) |
There is a wide spread even inside this compact list:
- Bulgaria is modeled at 26 kilograms per capita per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3).
- Russia is modeled at 33 kilograms per capita per year but still has a large total estimate of 4,829,772 tonnes per year because of scale (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3).
- Poland and Ukraine both sit near the upper end of total-tonnage estimates in this group at 2,391,600 tonnes and 2,758,037 tonnes per year respectively (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 Annex 3).
Food waste statistics in the United States
The U.S. data adds a useful systems perspective because it covers generation, management pathways, and landfill impact.
EPA estimated 66,216,242 tons of wasted food were generated in the food retail, food service, and residential sectors in 2019 (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data).
EPA also estimated an additional 40 million tons of wasted food was generated in food and beverage manufacturing and processing in 2019 (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data).
U.S. management pathways for wasted food
| Management pathway | Tons | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Landfill | 39,621,902 tons (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) | 59.84% (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) |
| Controlled combustion | 9,646,263 tons (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) | 14.57% (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) |
| Sewer and wastewater treatment | 3,975,352 tons (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) | 6.00% (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) |
| Composting | 3,304,764 tons (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) | 4.99% (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) |
| Bio-based materials and biochemical processing | 2,335,988 tons (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) | 3.53% (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) |
| Donation | 5,135,293 tons (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) | 7.76% (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) |
| Animal feed | 1,516,771 tons (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) | 2.29% (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) |
| Anaerobic digestion | 538,539 tons (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) | 0.81% (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) |
| Land application | 141,371 tons (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) | 0.21% (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data) |
Two figures dominate the U.S. story:
- Landfill accounted for 39,621,902 tons, or 59.84% of wasted food management (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data).
- Controlled combustion accounted for 9,646,263 tons, or 14.57% (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data).
That means the majority of wasted food is still not being kept in higher-value pathways.
What EPA says about the landfill burden
EPA estimates that wasted food comprises about 24% of municipal solid waste disposed in U.S. landfills (US EPA Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste).
EPA also found that wasted food was responsible for 58% of landfill methane emissions to the atmosphere in its analysis (US EPA Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste).
And EPA says municipal solid waste landfills were the third-largest source of methane emissions from human activities in the United States (US EPA Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste).
U.S. recycling and composting context
EPA estimated that 28.1% of wasted food generation was managed through other food management pathways in 2018 (US EPA National Overview).
It also reported per-capita rates of:
- 1.16 pounds per person per day for recycling (US EPA National Overview)
- 0.42 pounds per person per day for composting (US EPA National Overview)
- 0.30 pounds per person per day for other food management (US EPA National Overview)
EPA estimated the food and other municipal solid waste composting rate at 4.1% in 2018 (US EPA National Overview), compared with a food composting rate of 2.2% in 2000 (US EPA National Overview).
That is progress, but the scale of remaining landfill disposal still makes the waste stream a major emissions issue.
UK food waste statistics
The UK data shows how a national waste problem can remain concentrated in homes even when total waste is measured across the whole system.
WRAP estimated total UK food waste at 10.7 million tonnes in 2021 (WRAP data stories press release).
Households generated 6.4 million tonnes of that amount, which means households accounted for 60% of total UK food waste in 2021 (WRAP data stories press release).
UK food waste facts
- WRAP’s 2024 UK household survey found self-reported food waste increased from 20.2% in November 2023 to 21% in June 2024 (WRAP Household Food Management Survey UK).
- WRAP says the average UK household of four throws away food worth about L1,000 per year (WRAP blog on reducing food waste at home).
- WRAP estimates household food waste generates 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, equal to 3% of the UK’s total carbon footprint (WRAP blog on reducing food waste at home).
Why household waste dominates in the UK
The UK figures echo the global pattern seen in the UNEP data.
- Households remain the largest food waste source by volume (WRAP data stories press release).
- The cost signal is easy to understand: about L1,000 per year for a household of four (WRAP blog on reducing food waste at home).
- The climate signal is equally direct: 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from household food waste (WRAP blog on reducing food waste at home).
What the statistics say about the bigger picture
Across the supplied data, three themes are hard to miss.
- Households are the central food waste problem. They made up 631 million tonnes globally in 2022 and 60% of total food waste (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
- The waste problem is broad, not isolated to rich countries. The average household range across the covered income groups stayed within 81 to 88 kilograms per person per year (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024).
- End-of-life handling still leans heavily toward disposal. In the U.S., landfill handled 39,621,902 tons and represented 59.84% of wasted food management in 2019 (US EPA Food: Material-Specific Data).
Quick reading guide for the dataset
- Use the global numbers to understand scale.
- Use the income-group averages to see how closely household waste clusters.
- Use the country figures to compare modeled household waste per person and total tonnes.
- Use the U.S. pathways data to see how much food still flows to landfill.
- Use the UK numbers to connect household waste to money and emissions.
Food waste statistics are useful because they connect behavior, logistics, and policy in the same dataset. The numbers here show a problem that is concentrated in households, reinforced by system design, and large enough that even small per-person changes can move a very large total.