Which Countries Waste the Most Food and How to Waste Less?
Food waste is more than a full bin: it means wasted money, water, land and energy. While millions struggle to get enough to eat, food that could feed people is thrown away. Learning how to reduce food waste at home is a practical first step.
A billion tonnes wasted
According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste were generated in shops, food services and at home in 2022. This lowered consumers’ food availability by approximately 19%. This waste was split between households (60%), restaurants and other food services (28%) and retailers (12%). Overall, 79kg of food was wasted at home per person in a year.
The difference is stark: As per the UN 2026 food security report, an estimated 645 million people were already hungry in 2025.
Which countries waste the most?
According to the latest estimates by UNEP in 2024, the average Maldivian household consumes 207kg of food per person annually. Seychelles is just ahead at 183kg, Syria and Tunisia at 172kg each and Egypt at 163kg.
These are the figures for household waste, but not for all waste from shops and restaurants. UNEP warns that country comparisons are still unclear due to the lack of data or differences in measuring indicators. In some areas, high temperatures and limited refrigeration can also lead to high waste.
Small changes that make a difference
Start with a plan. Check cupboards and the fridge before shopping, write a list, and buy only what the household can use. Cook sensible portions, especially of rice and pasta, and move older food to the front so it gets eaten first.
Read date labels carefully. “Use by” dates relate to safety, while “best before” usually refers to quality. Keep the fridge at 5°C or below, store food correctly, and freeze bread or extra portions before they spoil.
Give leftovers another life: add cooked vegetables to soup, turn rice into a new meal, or use suitable vegetable scraps for stock. Compost unavoidable scraps such as peels and eggshells where possible, rather than sending them to landfill.
Why every meal matters
FAO says food lost and wasted across the food chain creates 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and wastes resources used to grow, move and store food.
Cutting waste cannot solve hunger alone, but it can save money, reduce pressure on nature and make better use of food already produced. A shopping list, colder fridge and planned leftovers may seem small; repeated every week, they add up.
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