The stories behind the numbers
World rice, wheat and maize production in 2024
World rice production was approximately 820 million tonnes in 2024, measured as paddy before milling. FAOSTAT’s calendar-year series via Our World in Data records about 798 million tonnes of wheat and 1,218 million tonnes of maize. These figures describe harvested production, not the amount people ate.
In FAOSTAT’s calendar-year 2024 data, what was world production of rice on a paddy basis, before milling, approximately?
Answer and explanation: 820M tonnes
About 820 million tonnes, rounded to the nearest million tonnes. Rice is measured as paddy, including the husk, before milling. It is not the weight of milled rice.
FAO FAOSTAT · Crops and livestock products, via Our World in DataCompare the sourced figures
In FAOSTAT’s calendar-year 2024 data, what was world production of rice on a paddy basis, before milling, approximately?
820M tonnes
Data reference year: 2024
FAO FAOSTAT · Crops and livestock products, via Our World in DataIn FAOSTAT’s calendar-year 2024 data, what was world production of wheat (dry grain), approximately?
798M tonnes
Data reference year: 2024
FAO FAOSTAT · Crops and livestock products, via Our World in DataIn FAOSTAT’s calendar-year 2024 data, what was world production of maize (dry grain), approximately?
1.218B tonnes
Data reference year: 2024
FAO FAOSTAT · Crops and livestock products, via Our World in DataTry one question
In FAOSTAT’s calendar-year 2024 data, what was world production of rice on a paddy basis, before milling, approximately?
Reveal the answer
Answer and explanation
820M tonnes
About 820 million tonnes, rounded to the nearest million tonnes. Rice is measured as paddy, including the husk, before milling. It is not the weight of milled rice.
Why rice means paddy here
Paddy rice still includes its husk. A figure for milled rice measures a different product, so it cannot replace this number without an appropriate conversion. Nor does 820 million tonnes mean that much cooked rice reached dinner tables. When another rice statistic looks smaller, check the processing stage before concluding that the two sources disagree.
What the wheat and maize figures count
The wheat and maize series count dry grain harvested. Crops harvested green or for forage are excluded. All three figures refer to the same calendar year and use tonnes, but matching units alone does not turn them into equivalent amounts of edible food. Paddy rice and dry wheat grain retain different product definitions.
How to make a useful comparison
The quiz rounds each total to the nearest million tonnes. Keep that rounding when describing the scale instead of treating the displayed number as an exact count. Check the crop, year, processing stage and harvest scope before combining sources. Production totals also answer a different question from crop yield, which concerns output relative to harvested area.
Remember rice as about 820 million tonnes of paddy in 2024, then try the grain questions with the product labels in mind.