The Philippines is projected to continue as the world’s largest rice importer for the third year in a row in 2025, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA’s global grains market report for May indicates that the country will need to import approximately 4.2 million metric tons (MT) of rice next year to meet increasing consumption demands spurred by population growth and a rise in tourism.
This forecasted volume represents an increase from this year’s estimated imports of 4.1 million MT. “The Philippines is expected to again be the largest global rice importer,” stated the USDA in their recent report.
Population data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) suggests the country’s population will reach at least 113.63 million by next year, marking a 4.2 percent increase from the 2020 census. The USDA also noted that total rice consumption in the Philippines is expected to climb to 17.1 million MT in 2025, up three percent from this year.
Despite these import requirements, the USDA forecasts a robust rice harvest for the Philippines in 2025, estimated at about 12.7 million MT, slightly higher than this year’s harvest. The country ranks as the seventh largest rice producer globally, trailing behind Thailand and Vietnam.
Since liberalizing its rice trade in 2019, rice imports have constituted roughly a fifth of the nation’s annual rice supply, excluding beginning stocks. The USDA attributes the increase in this year’s rice import forecast from 3.9 million MT to 4.1 million MT to heightened purchasing activity from Vietnam.