nature & planetanalysisOur World in Data
People in poorer countries get much of their daily calories from cereals, roots and tubers
In poorer countries people get much of their daily energy from staple crops like rice, wheat, maize, cassava and potatoes. These foods are among the cheapest ways to get enough calories, because they are dense in energy and grow well in many climates. Cassava and potatoes, for example, produce a lot of food per hectare. Richer countries eat more meat, dairy, oils and processed foods, which cost more per calorie. Diets therefore reflect both prices and what can be grown locally.
Cereals and root crops store large amounts of starch, which the body turns into energy. They are cheap to grow per unit of calories compared with animal foods, which need feed and land. Where incomes are low, cheap energy-dense foods make up most of the diet.
Staple crops keep hundreds of millions of people fed at low cost, so their yields and prices matter for global hunger. The contrast with richer diets shows why food policy looks so different across countries.
