Japan’s Rice Consumption Sinks to Lowest Level in Seven Years

Japan’s per-capita monthly rice consumption was 4.435 kilograms in fiscal 2025, according to the results of a consumer-behavior survey recently released by a rice-industry organization. This is a 6.1% year-on-year decrease and the lowest level in seven years. The decrease is equivalent to around 4.4 bowls of rice, assuming one bowl contains 65 grams of milled rice.

The survey was conducted online based on consumer-household monitors across Japan. For March 2026, a total of 1,608 valid responses were received from households. Researchers estimated household rice consumption based on the amount of milled rice in stock at the beginning and end of the month, the quantity of rice purchased during the month, and the number of household members. Rice consumption through prepared meals and dining out was also estimated based on survey responses.

Per-capita rice consumption in March 2026 was estimated at 4.339 kilograms. Of this, 64.5% was rice consumed at home, while 21.2% came from prepared meals and 14.3% was consumed through dining out. In fiscal 2016, the share of at-home rice consumption was 68.9%. This means that over the past decade, the share of rice consumed through prepared meals and dining out has increased by nearly five percentage points.

As for where consumers purchased rice during March, supermarkets accounted for the largest share at 48.9%. This was followed by rice received free of charge from family members, friends, or acquaintances (12.0%), online shopping (10.5%), and drugstores (8.5%). Only 2.3% of consumers purchased rice from local specialty rice retailers.

Convenience stores had the highest average purchase price at ¥1,038 per kilogram. This was roughly twice the price of rice purchased directly from producers, which was the lowest priced at ¥518 per kilogram. Supermarkets averaged ¥772 per kilogram, while online shopping was ¥773 per kilogram.

Data Sources

• Data on rice consumption (Japanese) from the Support Organization for Securing Stable Supply of Rice.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)