Minimum daily requirement of calories in China
China: Minimum daily requirement of calories was 1,902 kilocalories per person per day in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
1,902 kilocalories per person per day
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
65th
of 195 countries
All-time high
1,902 kilocalories per person per day
in 2024
All-time low
1,864 kilocalories per person per day
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Minimum daily requirement of calories in China, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilocalories per person per day.
Analysis
The most recent figure for minimum daily requirement of calories in China is 1,902 kilocalories per person per day, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, minimum daily requirement of calories in China peaked at 1,902 kilocalories per person per day in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1,864 kilocalories per person per day, in 2000.
China ranks 65th of 195 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Minimum daily requirement of calories in China, year by year
| Year | kilocalories per person per day | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,864 kilocalories per person per day | — |
| 2001 | 1,869 kilocalories per person per day | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 1,876 kilocalories per person per day | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 1,881 kilocalories per person per day | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 1,886 kilocalories per person per day | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 1,889 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 1,892 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 1,893 kilocalories per person per day | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 1,893 kilocalories per person per day | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1,893 kilocalories per person per day | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1,892 kilocalories per person per day | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 1,892 kilocalories per person per day | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1,890 kilocalories per person per day | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 1,887 kilocalories per person per day | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 1,886 kilocalories per person per day | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 1,884 kilocalories per person per day | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1,883 kilocalories per person per day | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 1,880 kilocalories per person per day | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 1,880 kilocalories per person per day | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1,882 kilocalories per person per day | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 1,885 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 1,891 kilocalories per person per day | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 1,895 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 1,899 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 1,902 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 1,902 kilocalories per person per day is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1,856 kilocalories per person per day, 1.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 1,902 kilocalories per person per day is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,827 kilocalories per person per day, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,884 kilocalories per person per day | 1,864 kilocalories per person per day | 1,893 kilocalories per person per day | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,886 kilocalories per person per day | 1,880 kilocalories per person per day | 1,892 kilocalories per person per day | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,894 kilocalories per person per day | 1,885 kilocalories per person per day | 1,902 kilocalories per person per day | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 62 Chile 1,903 kilocalories per person per day compare
- 62 Montenegro 1,903 kilocalories per person per day compare
- 62 Saudi Arabia 1,903 kilocalories per person per day compare
- 66 Argentina 1,901 kilocalories per person per day compare
- 67 Costa Rica 1,899 kilocalories per person per day compare
- 68 Latvia 1,898 kilocalories per person per day compare
- 68 Mauritius 1,898 kilocalories per person per day compare
More reference data data for China
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 49.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 75.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 18.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 165.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 206.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 350.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,480 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 102.37 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is minimum daily requirement of calories in China?
- Minimum daily requirement of calories in China was 1,902 kilocalories per person per day in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest minimum daily requirement of calories recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 1,902 kilocalories per person per day in 2024.
- What is the lowest minimum daily requirement of calories recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,864 kilocalories per person per day in 2000.
- How does China rank for minimum daily requirement of calories?
- China ranks 65th out of 195 countries with data for 2024.
- Is minimum daily requirement of calories rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Minimum daily requirement of calories. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The minimum amount of daily dietary energy per person that is considered adequate to ensure they maintain a minimum weight for health. Across a population, this takes factors such as the age, sex, height, and activity levels of different individuals into account.