Belgium Tops US As Most ‘Calorific’ Country In The World

Why count calories at the national level?

Average daily food supply is a snapshot of a country’s entire food system: crop yields, imports, subsidies, and consumer preferences.

When availability climbs well above the 2,000–2,500 calories (kcal) most adults need, it can foreshadow rising public-health costs such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Conversely, a lower figure flags lingering food insecurity or supply-chain gaps.

This infographic, via Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao, ranks the top 40 countries with the largest food supplies.

Data for this visualization come from Our World in Data. They processed 2022 figures from the UN to track the average daily calories in a country’s food output, a measure that factors in imports and local production.

Because the metric captures supply rather than plate-level intake, it also hints at the scale of food lost in retail and households, an often-overlooked environmental cost.

Ranked: The Best-Fed Countries

Belgium leads the list with supplying nearly 3,900 kcal per person each day, fueled by calorie-dense staples such as bread, cheese, and chocolate.

Rank	Country	Region	Per capita, daily average calorie supply (2022, kcal)
1	Belgium	Europe	3,914
2	Israel	Asia	3,895
3	U.S.	Americas	3,875
4	Ireland	Europe	3,844
5	Türkiye	Asia	3,785
6	Austria	Europe	3,760
7	Poland	Europe	3,755
8	Romania	Europe	3,717
9	Saudi Arabia	Asia	3,707
10	Italy	Europe	3,667
11	Iceland	Europe	3,605
12	North Macedonia	Europe	3,582
13	Denmark	Europe	3,580
14	Germany	Europe	3,573
15	Canada	Americas	3,572
16	Tunisia	Africa	3,540
17	Hungary	Europe	3,530
18	France	Europe	3,505
19	Norway	Europe	3,490
20	Netherlands	Europe	3,468
21	Australia	Oceania	3,468
22	Belarus	Europe	3,462
23	Portugal	Europe	3,461
24	China	Asia	3,454
25	Luxembourg	Europe	3,453
26	South Korea	Asia	3,444
27	Russia	Europe	3,433
28	Switzerland	Europe	3,432
29	Algeria	Africa	3,425
30	Croatia	Europe	3,422
31	Albania	Europe	3,408
32	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Europe	3,398
33	Greece	Europe	3,389
34	Brazil	Americas	3,384
35	Czechia	Europe	3,368
36	Finland	Europe	3,360
37	Spain	Europe	3,356
38	Argentina	Americas	3,355
39	Azerbaijan	Asia	3,348
40	Sweden	Europe	3,347

Ireland, Austria, and Poland also exceed 3,750 kcal.

A long tradition of livestock farming and generous agricultural subsidies keep high-calorie animal products abundant and affordable.

In fact, Europe dominates these rankings, taking 27 of the 40 spots.

Yet high supply does not always translate into higher consumption.

Countries like France show signs of shifting toward lighter meals and smaller portion sizes despite steady supply growth.

As European Union policymakers focus on food waste targets, the gap between available and eaten calories could widen even further.

The Very Large North American diet

Outside Europe, Israel ranks a close second with 3,895 kcal, reflecting a diet that blends Western processed foods with regional favorites such as tahini and olive oil.

The U.S. lands in third place at 3,875 kcal, underscoring its expansive agricultural system and large portion norms.

Saudi Arabia’s ninth-place finish (3,707 kcal) is noteworthy. A heavy dependence on food imports and government-backed food subsidies help maintain one of the world’s most calorie-rich supplies despite limited arable land.

However, high availability often correlates with rising obesity rates.

Adult obesity now exceeds 30% in both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, highlighting the health trade-offs of abundant food systems.

Why Food Supply Does Not Equal Calorie Intake

Food supply figures overstate actual consumption because they do not subtract retail losses and household waste.

In high income countries, roughly one-third of edible calories never reach the plate.

Even so, surplus supply strains ecosystems through land use, water withdrawals, and greenhouse-gas emissions.

Recent studies estimate that cutting global food waste in half could lower agricultural emissions by up to 8%.

Conversely, for lower-supply nations, modest gains in food availability remain critical for combating under-nutrition.

Understanding the distinction between calories supplied and calories eaten helps policymakers craft targeted dietary guidelines, waste-reduction programs, and social safety nets.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Top 50 Countries That Can Feed Themselves Across Seven Food Groups on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.