ORBIS

Resource · Food and farming

Wheat

Wheat provides about one in five of the world's food calories. China grows the most as a single country, with 17.5% of the 2024 harvest. India and Russia follow. Russia is the largest exporter, shipping 21% of world trade in 2025/26. Egypt is the largest importer. Attacks on Black Sea ports in 2026 disrupted shipments from both Russia and Ukraine.

Updated October 2026 · Data from the FAO and the US Department of Agriculture

A combine harvesting a golden wheat field on rolling hills under a blue sky
Wheat harvest on the Palouse, in the US Pacific Northwest. Photo: US Department of Agriculture, public domain.
Grown in 2025/26
844 million t
a record harvest
Largest grower
140 million t
17.5% of the world, 2024
Largest exporter
48 million t
21% of world exports
Largest importer
15.2 million t
2025/26
Food calories
1 in 5
come from wheat

Which countries grow the most wheat?

China grew the most wheat of any single country in 2024, with 17.5% of the world harvest. India harvested 14% and Russia 10%. Counted as one bloc, the European Union grew slightly more than China in 2025/26, producing 145.1 million tonnes against China's 140.1 million.

China holds about 44% of the world's wheat stocks, 122.2 million tonnes at the end of 2025/26.

World map shaded by each country's share of the world wheat harvest in 2024. China, India and Russia are the lightest.

Share of world wheat harvest, 2024

  1. China17.5%
  2. India14.2%
  3. Russia10.3%
  4. United States6.7%
  5. Canada4.5%
  6. Australia4.3%
  7. Everyone else42.5%
  • Under 0.5%
  • 0.5%–2%
  • 2%–5%
  • 5%–10%
  • Over 10%
  • No production

Who exports the most wheat?

Russia exported 48 million tonnes of wheat in 2025/26, about 21% of world trade. The European Union, Canada, the United States and Australia followed. The top eight exporters shipped about 89% of all wheat traded.

On August 12, 2026, a Ukrainian strike wrecked the Novorossiysk grain terminal. After Russian strikes on Odesa, Ukraine more than halved its forecast of wheat exports for 2026/27. India banned wheat exports in May 2022 and lifted the ban on August 24, 2026, with government stocks at 50.5 million tonnes.

Who sells the world's wheat

Million tonnes, 2025/26

  1. Russia48.0
  2. European Union31.7
  3. Canada29.6
  4. United States24.4
  5. Australia23.2
  6. Argentina19.0
  7. Ukraine14.1
  8. Kazakhstan11.8
Wheat and flour exports, July 2025 to June 2026, out of 226.6 million tonnes traded. The EU counts as one, without trade between its members. USDA, September 2026.

Which countries import the most wheat?

Egypt imported 15.2 million tonnes of wheat in 2025/26, more than any other country. Indonesia and Algeria ranked second and third. Wheat imports are far more spread out than exports. The top eight importers take only about 31% of world trade.

Egypt's government subsidizes bread for more than 70 million people. On June 1, 2024, Egypt raised the price of subsidized bread from 5 to 20 piastres a loaf, the first increase in more than 30 years.

Who buys the world's wheat

Million tonnes, 2025/26

  1. Egypt15.2
  2. Indonesia13.0
  3. Algeria8.7
  4. Philippines7.8
  5. Bangladesh7.4
  6. Vietnam7.3
  7. European Union7.3
  8. Morocco6.7
Wheat and flour imports, July 2025 to June 2026. USDA, September 2026.

What is wheat used for?

Most wheat is eaten as bread, noodles or pasta. About 80% of the wheat consumed in 2025/26 went to food, seed and industrial use. The remaining 20% went to animal feed and losses.

About 27% of the wheat grown in 2025/26 crossed a border, so countries such as Egypt depend on a handful of exporters for their bread.

What the world's wheat goes into

Share of use, 2025/26

  • Food, seed and industry80%
  • Animal feed and losses21%

How much goes into one

  • 42 loavesof white bread from one bushel (27.2 kg) of wheat
  • 1 in 5of the world's food calories come from wheat
  • 27%of the wheat grown in 2025/26 crossed a border
  • 220 million haof wheat harvested in 2024, more land than any other crop
USDA, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, September 2026. Tiles: Kansas Wheat, CIMMYT, USDA, FAO.

Which countries grow more wheat than they eat?

Russia grows more than twice the wheat it consumes, producing 90.3 million tonnes against 41.2 million used. The European Union, the United States and India also grow more than they use. These surpluses supply the export market.

China and Pakistan consume more wheat than they grow. China used 150.0 million tonnes in 2025/26, about 10 million more than China harvested. Pakistan used 30.7 million tonnes against 28.4 million grown.

Wheat grown and wheat used

Million tonnes, 2025/26

GrownUsed
  1. 140.1China150.0
  2. 145.1European Union113.5
  3. 117.9India107.8
  4. 90.3Russia41.2
  5. 54.0United States30.9
  6. 28.4Pakistan30.7
Production and total use (food, seed, industry, feed and losses) by local marketing year. USDA, September 2026.

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