World Wide Wheat - Worldwide Wheat Production Data

Worldwide Production of Wheat

Wheat is a Small Grain

Humans have been harvesting the small, dry seeds known as grain for thousands of years. The two main categories of grains are cereals, such as wheat, rye, and corn, and legumes, such as beans, lentils, peanuts, and soybeans. Many grains are capable of being stored for long periods of time, easily transported over long distances, processed into flour, oil, and gas, and consumed by animals and humans. (19)

Figure 4. Top 10 wheat-producing countries based on total yield in tonnes from 2000-2020

This chart shows that China is the #1 producer of wheat in the world, with 2.4 B tonnes between 2000-2020, which is equal to around 17.0% of the whole world's wheat production. (16)

Figure 5. Wheat Production in China

This statistic shows the extent of wheat production in China between 2013 and 2023. In 2023, around 136.6 million metric tons of wheat were produced in China. (11)

China produced:136.59 million metric tons in 2023137.72 million metric tons in 2022136.95 million metric tons in 2021134.25 million metric tons in 2020133.6 million metric tons in 2019

Figure 6. Leading Wheat-producing U.S. States in 2022 and 2023

This statistic shows the states with the highest wheat production in the United States in 2022 and 2023. North Dakota was ranked as the first leading wheat production state, with about 307.85 million bushels produced in 2023 and just under 300 million bushels in 2022. (12)

Wheat production in the United States

Wheat is the second most important grain cultivated in the United States, followed only by corn. Wheat is a cereal crop that can be classified into five major classes. These five wheat classes include hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, white, and durum wheat. Each class has a different end-use, and the cultivation tends to be region-specific. Hard red winter wheat is mainly grown in the Great Plains area ranging from Montana to Texas. This type is primarily used for the production of bread flour. Hard red spring wheat is mostly cultivated in the Northern Plains area. Their wheat ears are mainly taken for protein blending purposes. Durum wheat, which is primarily grown in North Dakota and Montana, is known for its excellent qualities for producing pasta. The wheat class everyone knows from their breakfast cereal is named white wheat. (12)

Almost every U.S. state is involved in agricultural wheat production. The latest statistics show that North Dakota, Kansas, and Montana were the leading wheat-producing states in the United States. (12)

Figure 7. Worldwide wheat consumption in 2023/2024, by country

In the 2023/2024 marketing year, the top consumers of wheat globally were China, the European Union, and India. China consumed over 153 million metric tons of wheat that year. Wheat consumption worldwide is slowly increasing, growing by about eight percent since 2018/2019. (13)

Wheat production and trade

Not only do they consume the most wheat, but China, the EU, and India are also the leading producers of wheat worldwide. China led global production, with about 136.6 million metric tons in 2023/24. Despite being a top producer, China also imports a great deal of wheat. In 2022, China imported about 3.8 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of wheat. Egypt has been one of the leading importers of wheat worldwide for the last several years. (13)

Wheat price

Prices around the world have risen as of 2022. Many believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is to blame for the rising wheat prices; others believe it is the speculation of an impending food crisis driving up demand. The price of the most common variety of wheat grown in the U.S., hard red winter wheat, reached an all-time high in May 2022, reaching over 522 dollars per metric ton. Globally, the real household income is expected to decline by about 1.57 percent due to the increased cost of wheat and corn. Some countries will experience a decline of over five percent, showing the real impact that growing prices have on consumers across the world.

References:

11. “China: Wheat Production 2019.” Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/242372/wheat-production-in-china/.

12. “U.S. Top Wheat Producing States 2019.” Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/190376/top-us-states-in-wheat-production/.

13. “Total Wheat Consumption by Country Worldwide 2018/2019.” Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/1094065/total-global-wheat-consumption-by-country/.

16. Ang, Carmen. “These Are the Top 10 Countries That Produce the Most Wheat.” World Economic Forum, 4 Aug. 2022, www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/08/top-10-countries-produce-most-wheat/.

19. Statista. “Grain Production Worldwide by Type, 2018/19 | Statistic.” Statista, Statista, 2018, www.statista.com/statistics/263977/world-grain-production-by-type/.

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