Minimum daily requirement of calories in India

India: Minimum daily requirement of calories was 1,808 kilocalories per person per day in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
1,808 kilocalories per person per day
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
116th
of 195 countries
All-time high
1,808 kilocalories per person per day
in 2024
All-time low
1,714 kilocalories per person per day
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Minimum daily requirement of calories in India, 2000–2024

05001.0k1.5k2.0k2000201220242000: 1.7k kilocalories per person per day2001: 1.7k kilocalories per person per day2002: 1.7k kilocalories per person per day2003: 1.7k kilocalories per person per day2004: 1.7k kilocalories per person per day2005: 1.7k kilocalories per person per day2006: 1.7k kilocalories per person per day2007: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2008: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2009: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2010: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2011: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2012: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2013: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2014: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2015: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2016: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2017: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2018: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2019: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2020: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2021: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2022: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2023: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day2024: 1.8k kilocalories per person per day

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

India recorded 1,808 kilocalories per person per day for minimum daily requirement of calories in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, minimum daily requirement of calories in India peaked at 1,808 kilocalories per person per day in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1,714 kilocalories per person per day, in 2000.

That places India 116th out of 195 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1,738 kilocalories per person per day 1,714 kilocalories per person per day 1,759 kilocalories per person per day 10
2010s 1,778 kilocalories per person per day 1,762 kilocalories per person per day 1,793 kilocalories per person per day 10
2020s 1,802 kilocalories per person per day 1,796 kilocalories per person per day 1,808 kilocalories per person per day 5

Countries ranked near India

  1. 113 Kyrgyzstan 1,817 kilocalories per person per day compare
  2. 114 Uzbekistan 1,812 kilocalories per person per day compare
  3. 115 Ecuador 1,809 kilocalories per person per day compare
  4. 117 Eswatini 1,807 kilocalories per person per day compare
  5. 117 New Caledonia 1,807 kilocalories per person per day compare
  6. 119 Kenya 1,806 kilocalories per person per day compare

See the full ranking of 195 places →

More reference data data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is minimum daily requirement of calories in India?
Minimum daily requirement of calories in India was 1,808 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 India?
The highest recorded value was 1,808 kilocalories per person per day in 2024.
What is the lowest minimum daily requirement of calories recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 1,714 kilocalories per person per day in 2000.
How does India rank for minimum daily requirement of calories?
India ranks 116th out of 195 countries with data for 2024.
Is minimum daily requirement of calories rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this India 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.

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About this data

Indicator
Minimum daily requirement of calories
Unit
kilocalories per person per day
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
195 places, 4,874 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.