FAO · Cereal Import Dependency Ratio
Cereal import dependency by country
How much of a country's cereal supply is imported?
Of the 161 countries compared in 2022, 16 countries shared the highest reading, 100.0%, and Paraguay had the lowest reading, -1,894.1%. In the middle country the figure was 42.8%. Among the 145 countries measured in every edition since 2001, the middle one moved from 30.5% to 39.3%.
Cereal import dependency · 2022
Context statistic
16 countries share the highest value, 100.0% — no single country is named first.
012022 · values only
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 161 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
Highest in 2022 · shared
16 countries share the highest reading, 100.0%
No single country is named first: picking one from a shared value would be a choice the data does not make.
02Every measured country
Cereal import dependency on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- -1,894.1–-1.2%
- -0.3–34.0%
- 34.1–55.3%
- 61.3–90.3%
- 90.6–100.0%
- No reading in 2022 (15 measured in an earlier edition)
- Oceania
95.2%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 21 members
2 share 100.0%
Australia-241.6%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Americas
54.4%
the middle country, of 32 measured · 48 members
5 share 100.0%
Paraguay-1,894.1%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Africa
46.5%
the middle country, of 40 measured · 55 members
3 share 100.0%
Zambia-9.7%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Asia
46.1%
the middle country, of 43 measured · 52 members
4 share 100.0%
Kazakhstan-59.4%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Europe
20.4%
the middle country, of 39 measured · 49 members
2 share 100.0%
Bulgaria-1,015.6%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Every region
21 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Caribbean
99.7%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 24 members
5 share 100.0%
Dominican Republic63.0%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Western Asia
88.9%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members
3 share 100.0%
Azerbaijan34.1%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Northern Africa
83.9%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 6 members
Libya100.0%
Egypt42.8%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Eastern Asia
78.3%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members
Hong Kong100.0%
China9.2%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Southern Africa
68.4%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Botswana82.7%
South Africa0.7%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Central America
54.4%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica92.5%
Belize13.2%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Western Africa
45.6%
the middle country, of 13 measured · 16 members
Cabo Verde100.0%
Nigeria16.3%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Western Europe
38.7%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Netherlands90.3%
France-71.7%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Southern Europe
36.8%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 17 members
Malta100.0%
Croatia-50.8%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Middle Africa
35.7%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 9 members
Gabon90.6%
DR Congo24.8%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Eastern Africa
27.6%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 19 members
Djibouti100.0%Zambia-9.7%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Central Asia
27.4%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Tajikistan48.4%Kazakhstan-59.4%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Southern Asia
26.4%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Maldives97.3%
India-12.4%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
7.6%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 11 members
Malaysia78.1%
Thailand-18.5%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- South America
3.4%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Colombia65.3%Paraguay-1,894.1%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Northern Europe
-4.2%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Iceland93.1%
Lithuania-180.4%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
-55.6%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Moldova100.0%Bulgaria-1,015.6%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand48.1%Australia-241.6%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Solomon Islands100.0%
Fiji92.6%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Micronesia
1 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Micronesia.
Micronesia100.0%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
United States-20.3%
Canada-116.9%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
161 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 42.8%; a quarter are above 82.9%, and a quarter below 9.2%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 176 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. Neither end of this table is the good end. Heavy dependence is a genuine vulnerability for a country with farmland it does not use, and simply a fact of geography for a city-state or a desert. The deep negative figures are real: a large exporter's ratio can run to several hundred per cent below zero.
Showing 25 of 176 countries
Values for 2022. The change column compares 2022 with 2021 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052001–2022 · 22 reference years
Over time
Each point is a three-year average, labelled by the middle year of its window — the same convention the other FAO food security measures on this site use.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 145 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 161 | 42.8% | 9.2% – 82.9% | 39.3% |
| 2021 | 162 | 44.4% | 13.7% – 82.8% | 38.7% |
| 2020 | 158 | 39.8% | 8.1% – 79.9% | 38.4% |
| 2019 | 155 | 39.6% | 9.4% – 76.9% | 39.4% |
| 2018 | 155 | 41.4% | 6.5% – 76.3% | 40.6% |
| 2017 | 157 | 41.3% | 5.8% – 74.8% | 39.8% |
| 2016 | 155 | 39.5% | 6.1% – 74.9% | 40.2% |
| 2015 | 158 | 39.5% | 6.2% – 75.9% | 37.4% |
| 2014 | 157 | 40.4% | 6.4% – 74.7% | 39.7% |
| 2013 | 159 | 40.8% | 6.6% – 72.9% | 38.3% |
| 2012 | 162 | 39.8% | 8.3% – 75.3% | 38.6% |
| 2011 | 162 | 39.8% | 8.1% – 77.1% | 34.7% |
| 2010 | 155 | 35.1% | 3.3% – 75.6% | 34.7% |
| 2009 | 155 | 36.2% | 3.0% – 74.7% | 34.6% |
| 2008 | 163 | 32.0% | 4.1% – 75.4% | 31.7% |
| 2007 | 163 | 33.9% | 2.9% – 74.0% | 33.8% |
| 2006 | 163 | 33.7% | 3.5% – 75.1% | 32.9% |
| 2005 | 161 | 31.9% | 5.8% – 73.3% | 30.9% |
| 2004 | 161 | 30.2% | 6.5% – 71.0% | 28.0% |
| 2003 | 161 | 31.6% | 6.9% – 70.4% | 30.2% |
| 2002 | 161 | 32.0% | 6.9% – 70.7% | 31.7% |
| 2001 | 161 | 33.2% | 6.7% – 71.9% | 30.5% |
062021 → 2022
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → after160 countries were measured in both 2021 and 2022. The field changed from 162 to 161 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
Cereal import dependency in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
Reached 252 times by 36 countries — shared, so no holder is named
100.0%
Share of the cereal supply that is imported (%)
Lowest reading on record
-1,894.1%
Share of the cereal supply that is imported (%)
Biggest rise between editions
+683.7
-734.9% → -51.2%
Biggest fall between editions
−1,955.9
61.8% → -1,894.1%
Biggest change since first measured
+109.6
-9.6% → 100.0%
08The measure
About cereal import dependency
This is how much of a country's cereal supply is imported rather than grown at home. Cereals are most of the world's calories, so it is one of the clearest measures of how exposed a country is to a disruption in world food trade.
What the number is: Share of the cereal supply that is imported (%).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Mobility & Trade and Food & Agriculture, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Mobility & TradeFood & AgricultureWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where cereal import dependency is higher, these tend to be higher too.
No statistic lines up this closely.
Moves against
Where cereal import dependency is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Land Under Cereal ProductionFAO · 159 countries in commonρ −0.74
- Arable Land per PersonFAO · 160 countries in commonρ −0.70
- Agricultural EmissionsFAO · 161 countries in commonρ −0.63
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 185 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
11Questions
Cereal import dependency: questions and answers
Which country has the highest cereal import dependency?
16 countries share the highest reading, 100.0%, among the 161 compared in 2022, so no single country is named.
Which country has the lowest cereal import dependency?
Paraguay, at -1,894.1%, among the 161 countries compared in 2022.
How many countries does the Cereal Import Dependency Ratio cover?
161 in 2022, and 176 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 155 to 163 between editions.
What is the world average cereal import dependency?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 161 compared in 2022, the figure was 42.8%.
Is this Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the Cereal Import Dependency Ratio published?
This site holds 22 reference years, 2001–2022, all recalculated in Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s 2026 report on one method — not 22 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under CC BY 4.0. FAOSTAT's Suite of Food Security Indicators, read from the FAO's own bulk download. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Cereal Import Dependency Ratio — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
FAOSTAT's Suite of Food Security Indicators, read from the FAO's own bulk download.
Newest edition
Report year 2022Data year 2022
Cite the source as: FAO. FAOSTAT. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-11.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Cereal import dependency by country: Cereal Import Dependency Ratio, data from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/cereal-import-dependency