Contents
- Food waste from households statistics: global scale and per-person estimates
- Food waste from households across income groups and regions
- EU household food waste in 2024
- UK household food waste: edible share and cost
- UK food waste and its reported emissions
- Changes in UK household food waste and measurement limits
- Sources
Food waste from households statistics: global scale and per-person estimates
Household food waste is substantial both in total tonnage and when measured per person. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimated that households generated 631 million tonnes worldwide in 2022. Its global average was 79 kilograms per person per year. The total describes estimated household waste; the per-person figure gives a different view of the scale and should not be read as the amount thrown away by every household or individual. (UNEP, Food Waste Index Report 2024)
Per-person averages help compare estimates across places with different population sizes, but they are not a measure of how much any one family discards. A household with several people may generate more waste in total than a smaller household even if its per-person average is lower. Definitions and measurement approaches also matter when comparing one report with another.
Food waste from households across income groups and regions
UNEP’s 2024 report gives average household estimates by World Bank income grouping. The figures do not show a simple pattern in which higher-income groups have the largest per-person estimate: the report lists 81 kg per person per year for high-income countries, 88 kg for upper-middle-income countries and 86 kg for lower-middle-income countries. For low-income countries, UNEP used 91 kg per person per year as an extrapolation input. That number was derived from an average using six low-income countries with data points alongside lower-middle-income estimates; it is not a directly measured average for all low-income countries. (UNEP, Food Waste Index Report 2024)
The report’s regional averages also vary. Its study-derived household estimates include 140 kg per person per year in Northern Africa, 100 kg in Southern Asia, 95 kg in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 53 kg in Eastern Europe. Other reported estimates include 93 kg in Sub-Saharan Africa, 76 kg in Northern America, 70 kg in Eastern Asia, 70 kg in South-eastern Asia, and 116 kg in Western Asia. (UNEP, Food Waste Index Report 2024)
These are regional estimates derived from studies, not a uniform census of every household. The differences are useful for describing the estimates UNEP reports, but they should not be treated as proof that every country or household in a region has the same level of waste. The low-income extrapolation likewise needs to remain distinct from the study-derived regional figures.
EU household food waste in 2024
In the European Union, households generated 31 million tonnes of food waste in 2024, measured as fresh mass. That was 53% of the EU’s total food waste, or 69 kg per inhabitant. These figures count food waste within the food chain and exclude food losses that occur before food enters it. (Eurostat, “Food waste and food waste prevention – estimates”)
| EU household measure | 2024 estimate |
|---|---|
| Total household food waste | 31 million tonnes, fresh mass |
| Share of EU food waste | 53% |
| Household food waste per inhabitant | 69 kg |
The total and per-inhabitant figures provide complementary views: one describes the EU-wide quantity, while the other adjusts for population. Neither is a household-by-household count. When comparing the EU per-inhabitant estimate with UNEP’s global per-capita average, keep the different reporting sources, reference periods and estimation approaches in view.
UK household food waste: edible share and cost
UK government reporting based on data collected in 2021/22 estimated that households generated 6.4 million tonnes of food waste. Of this, 74%, or 4.7 million tonnes, was classified as edible parts. This distinction matters: the total includes food waste beyond the portion that could have been eaten. (UK Government, United Kingdom Food Security Report 2024: Theme 2: UK Food Supply Sources)
The report estimated that purchasing edible food and drink that was later wasted cost £17 billion. It equated this to £250 per person per year, £600 per household, or £1,000 for a household of four. These are purchase costs for edible items only; they exclude associated costs such as cooking, storage and transport. (UK Government, United Kingdom Food Security Report 2024: Theme 2: UK Food Supply Sources)
The cost figures show why weight alone does not capture the household impact. Meat and fish represented 19% of household food waste by financial cost but 6% by weight. A smaller share of discarded weight can therefore account for a larger share of the reported purchase cost. The figures describe the UK estimate based on 2021/22 data, rather than a current price measure. (UK Government, United Kingdom Food Security Report 2024: Theme 2: UK Food Supply Sources)
UK food waste and its reported emissions
The UK report estimated that wasted food and drink associated with the household food-waste data accounted for approximately 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) in 2021/22. The estimate includes impacts across the food system, including land-use change, agriculture, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, retail, transport, storage, preparation and waste treatment. It is therefore broader than emissions from disposing of food alone. (UK Government, United Kingdom Food Security Report 2024: Theme 2: UK Food Supply Sources)
This lifecycle scope is important when interpreting the number. Food that is wasted carries impacts from earlier stages of production and supply as well as from its eventual treatment. The estimate is tied to the report’s household waste data and should not be mistaken for a direct measure of emissions at household bins alone.
Changes in UK household food waste and measurement limits
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that UK households generated 6.6 million tonnes in 2018, accounting for about 70% of total UK food waste that year. Its account says the household share was 72% in 2007, a slight decrease by 2018. The household measure includes edible and inedible parts; the ONS notes that 70% of household waste was intended for people and 30% was inedible. (ONS, “A review of household behaviour in relation to food waste, recycling, energy use and air travel”)
For wider context, the ONS estimated that all UK sectors produced 9.5 million tonnes of food waste in 2018, equivalent to 143 kg per person. In 2007, the all-sector total was 11.2 million tonnes, or 181 kg per person. The ONS reported a 15% decrease in all-sector food waste between those years. That reduction applies to the UK total across sectors; it does not establish an equivalent fall in household waste alone. (ONS, “A review of household behaviour in relation to food waste, recycling, energy use and air travel”)
The 2018 ONS figure of 6.6 million tonnes and the UK government’s 6.4 million tonnes based on 2021/22 data come from different reporting periods. They should not be used as a like-for-like trend without accounting for differences in dates and measurement. Together, the figures show the scale of UK household waste in their respective reference periods, while the edible share, cost and lifecycle emissions estimates add detail about what the broader tonnage means.