Daily supply of calories per person
- Data source
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Harris et al. (2015); Floud et al. (2011); Jonsson (1998); Grigg (1995); Fogel (2004); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2000); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (1949); USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (2015) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Unit
- kilocalories per day
- Date range
- 1274-2023
- Last updated
- 2026-03-02
- Next expected update
- 2027-03-02
This data shows per capita daily calorie supply, which is the amount of calories available to an average person, and does not necessarily correspond to the calories actually consumed by that person.
Calorie supply is always larger than actual calorie consumption, since there may be waste at the household level.
For historical data, daily calorie supply and consumption are sometimes used interchangeably, due to poor data availability.
Show more Show less
This data does not give a complete picture of nutrition - for a healthy diet we need much more than just energy. But as the most basic criteria of food security, getting enough calories is an important measure. It is used as input for the most important metrics used to assess global malnutrition: undernourishment.
Frequently asked questions
How did Our World in Data process this data?
How did Our World in Data process this data?
All data and visualizations on Our World in Data rely on data sourced from one or several original data providers. Preparing this original data involves several processing steps. Depending on the data, this can include standardizing country names and world region definitions, converting units, calculating derived indicators such as per capita measures, as well as adding or adapting metadata such as the name or the description given to an indicator.
At the link below you can find a detailed description of the structure of our data pipeline, including links to all the code used to prepare data across Our World in Data.
Notes on our processing step for this indicator
- For all countries, the data after 1960 is taken from FAOSTAT Food Balances datasets (old and new methodologies combined).
- For the UK: We load Appendix Table from Harris et al. (2015). From that table, we select values from Broadberry et al. (2015) and the corrected values from Floud et al (2011) (taking the average value of Estimates (A) and (B)).
- For the US: For years 1800-1900, we use Table 6.6 of Floud et al. (2011). For years 1900-1960, we use the archived table of food supply from USDA.
- For Iceland: We use Table 5 of Jonsson (1994).
- For Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway: We use Table 1 from Grigg (1995), which is a compilation of many sources.
- For France: We use Table 1 from Grigg (1995).
- We include the two additional data points (1705 and 1785) from Fogel (2004).
- For Belgium and Netherlands: We use Table 5.5 of Floud et al. (2011).
- For Uganda, Cambodia, China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru for 1936 and 1947: We use Table 11 of FAO (2000) (The State of Food and Agriculture).
- For many countries (including some of the above) for 1947 and 1948: We use values from Table 15 from FAO (1949).
- Note that prior to 1961, data for the UK may correspond to England, or England and Wales; and Tanzania refers to Tanganyika.
Data sources
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – Food Balances: Food Balances (-2013, old methodology and population)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – Food Balances: Food Balances (-2013, old methodology and population)
Food Balance Sheet presents a comprehensive picture of the pattern of a country's food supply during a specified reference period.
The food balance sheet shows for each food item - i.e. each primary commodity and a number of processed commodities potentially available for human consumption - the sources of supply and its utilization. The total quantity of foodstuffs produced in a country added to the total quantity imported and adjusted to any change in stocks that may have occurred since the beginning of the reference period gives the supply available during that period. On the utilization side a distinction is made between the quantities exported, fed to livestock, used for seed, put to manufacture for food use and non-food uses, losses during storage and transportation, and food supplies available for human consumption.
The per caput supply of each such food item available for human consumption is then obtained by dividing the respective quantity by the related data on the population actually partaking of it. Data on per caput food supplies are expressed in terms of quantity and - by applying appropriate food composition factors for all primary and processed products - also in terms of caloric value and protein and fat content.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - Food Balances: Food Balances (-2013, old methodology and population) (2023).Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – Food Balances: Food Balances (2010-)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – Food Balances: Food Balances (2010-)
A food balance sheet presents a comprehensive picture of the pattern of a country's food supply during a specified reference period.
The food balance sheet shows for each food item - i.e. each primary commodity and a number of processed commodities potentially available for human consumption - the sources of supply and its utilization. The total quantity of foodstuffs produced in a country added to the total quantity imported and adjusted to any change in stocks that may have occurred since the beginning of the reference period gives the supply available during that period. On the utilization side a distinction is made between the quantities exported, fed to livestock, used for seed, put to manufacture for food use and non-food uses, losses during storage and transportation, and food supplies available for human consumption.
The per caput supply of each such food item available for human consumption is then obtained by dividing the respective quantity by the related data on the population actually partaking of it. Data on per capita food supplies are expressed in terms of quantity and - by applying appropriate food composition factors for all primary and processed products - also in terms of caloric value and protein and fat content.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - Food Balances: Food Balances (2010-) (2025).Harris et al. – How Many Calories? Food Availability in England and Wales in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
Harris et al. – How Many Calories? Food Availability in England and Wales in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
This dataset contains the table in the appendix of Harris et al. (2015) paper: "How Many Calories? Food Availability in England and Wales in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries". That table contains a compilation of daily calorie (supply or consumption) in England and Wales, according to various different studies.
Harris, B., Floud, R. and Hong, S.C. (2015), "How Many Calories? Food Availability in England and Wales in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries", Research in Economic History (Research in Economic History, Vol. 31), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 111-191. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0363-326820150000031003
Data extracted from the Appendix.Floud et al. – The Changing Body
Floud et al. – The Changing Body
This dataset contains the estimates on the daily caloric intake in the United States (Table 6.6) and Western Europe (Table 5.5) of "The Changing Body", by Floud et al. (2011).
Floud, R., Fogel, R. W., Harris, B. and Hong, S. C. (2011), "The Changing Body," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521879750.
Data extracted from Tables 5.5 and 6.6.Jonsson – Changes in food consumption in Iceland, 1770-1940
Jonsson – Changes in food consumption in Iceland, 1770-1940
This dataset contains daily energy from Table 5 of Jonsson (1998) paper: "Changes in food consumption in Iceland, 1770-1940".
Jonsson, G.R. (1998), "Changes in food consumption in Iceland, 1770-1940". Scandinavian Economic History Review, 46, 24-41.
Data extracted from Table 5.Grigg – The nutritional transition in Western Europe
Grigg – The nutritional transition in Western Europe
This dataset contains daily calories available per capita from Table 1 of Grigg (1995) paper: "The nutritional transition in Western Europe".
Grigg, D. (1995), "The nutritional transition in Western Europe". Journal of Historical Geography, Volume 21, Issue 3, 1995, Pages 247-261. https://doi.org/10.1006/jhge.1995.0018
Data extracted from Table 1.Fogel – The Escape from Hunger and Premature Death
Fogel – The Escape from Hunger and Premature Death
This dataset contains daily calorie supply from Table 1.2 of Fogel (2004) book: "The Escape from hunger and Premature Death".
Fogel, R.W. (2004), "The Escape from hunger and Premature Death". Cambridge Studies in Population, Economy and Society in Past Time, Series Number 38.
Data extracted from Table 1.2.Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – The State of Food and Agriculture 2000
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – The State of Food and Agriculture 2000
This dataset contains daily calories in various countries, from Table 11 of FAO's "The State of Food and Agriculture 2000".
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2000), "The State of Food and Agriculture 2000".
Data extracted from Table 11.Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – The State of Food and Agriculture 1949
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – The State of Food and Agriculture 1949
This dataset contains daily calories in various countries, from Table 15 of FAO's "The State of Food and Agriculture 1949".
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (1949), "The State of Food and Agriculture 1949".
Data extracted from Table 15.USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) – U.S. food supply: Nutrients and other food components, per capita per day
USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) – U.S. food supply: Nutrients and other food components, per capita per day
Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/ERS) - U.S. food supply: Nutrients and other food components, per capita per day.
The data can be found as one of the archived tables of the Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System.How to cite
How to cite this page
How to cite this page
To cite this page overall, including any descriptions, FAQs or explanations of the data authored by Our World in Data, please use the following citation:
“Data Page: Daily supply of calories per person”, part of the following publication: Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie, and Pablo Rosado (2013) - “Food Supply”. Data adapted from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Harris et al., Floud et al., Jonsson, Grigg, Fogel, USDA Economic Research Service (ERS). Retrieved from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260518-090244/grapher/daily-per-capita-caloric-supply.html [online resource] (archived on May 18, 2026).How to cite this data
How to cite this data
If you have limited space (e.g. in data visualizations), you can use this abbreviated in-line citation:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in DataFull citation
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Harris et al. (2015); Floud et al. (2011); Jonsson (1998); Grigg (1995); Fogel (2004); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2000); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (1949); USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (2015) – with major processing by Our World in Data. “Daily supply of calories per person” [dataset]. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Food Balances: Food Balances (-2013, old methodology and population)”; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Food Balances: Food Balances (2010-)”; Harris et al., “How Many Calories? Food Availability in England and Wales in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries”; Floud et al., “The Changing Body”; Jonsson, “Changes in food consumption in Iceland, 1770-1940”; Grigg, “The nutritional transition in Western Europe”; Fogel, “The Escape from Hunger and Premature Death”; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “The State of Food and Agriculture 2000”; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “The State of Food and Agriculture 1949”; USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), “U.S. food supply: Nutrients and other food components, per capita per day” [original data]. Retrieved July 1, 2026 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260518-090244/grapher/daily-per-capita-caloric-supply.html (archived on May 18, 2026).All data produced by third-party providers and made available by Our World in Data are subject to the license terms from the original providers. Our work would not be possible without the data providers we rely on, so we ask you to always cite them appropriately. This is crucial to allow data providers to continue doing their work, enhancing, maintaining and updating valuable data.
All data, visualizations, and code produced by Our World in Data are completely open access under the Creative Commons BY license. You have the permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited.
What do you want to see next?
Related charts
Download
Quick download
Download the data shown in this chart as a ZIP file containing a CSV file, metadata in JSON format, and a README. The CSV file can be opened in Excel, Google Sheets, and other data analysis tools.
Data API
Use these URLs to programmatically access this chart's data and configure your requests with the options below. Our documentation provides more information on how to use the API, and you can find a few code examples below.
Data URL (CSV format)
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-per-capita-caloric-supply.csv?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=falseMetadata URL (JSON format)
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-per-capita-caloric-supply.metadata.json?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=falseCode examples
Examples of how to load this data into different data analysis tools.
Code examples
Examples of how to load this data into different data analysis tools.
Excel / Google Sheets
=IMPORTDATA("https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-per-capita-caloric-supply.csv?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false")Python with Pandas
import pandas as pd
import requests
# Fetch the data.
df = pd.read_csv("https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-per-capita-caloric-supply.csv?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false", storage_options = {'User-Agent': 'Our World In Data data fetch/1.0'})
# Fetch the metadata
metadata = requests.get("https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-per-capita-caloric-supply.metadata.json?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false").json()R
library(jsonlite)
# Fetch the data
df <- read.csv("https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-per-capita-caloric-supply.csv?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false")
# Fetch the metadata
metadata <- fromJSON("https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-per-capita-caloric-supply.metadata.json?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false")Stata
import delimited "https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-per-capita-caloric-supply.csv?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false", encoding("utf-8") clear