In the city of Congo Town, Liberia, there is a faded sign on the street that says "Rice is Life". I noticed that sign on the day I arrived in Liberia on the way from Airport. Liberians think a meal without rice is not a meal. Bread, fruits or vegetables don't count. Although I enjoy other food categories, I am also proud of our rice and I can't live without it. There are so many rice loving counties but do you know which country eats the most rice?
Rice consumption (per capita)
Data is from NationMaster.com
| Rank | Countries | Amount (per capita) |
| #1 | Burma | 217.035 thousand metric tons |
| #2 | Vietnam | 211.885 thousand metric tons |
| #3 | Bangladesh | 182.927 thousand metric tons |
| #4 | Thailand | 158.913 thousand metric tons |
| #5 | Indonesia | 152.702 thousand metric tons |
| #6 | Philippines | 110.407 thousand metric tons |
| #7 | China | 103.344 thousand metric tons |
| #8 | Korea, South | 103.123 thousand metric tons |
| #9 | India | 78.9159 thousand metric tons |
| #10 | Korea, North | 71.5782 thousand metric tons |
| #11 | Japan | 67.9501 thousand metric tons |
| #12 | Taiwan | 50.2315 thousand metric tons |
| #13 | Iran | 45.5762 thousand metric tons |
| #14 | Brazil | 43.5219 thousand metric tons |
| #15 | Egypt | 42.5774 thousand metric tons |
| #16 | South Africa | 15.2219 thousand metric tons |
| #17 | United States | 13.1267 thousand metric tons |
*Figures for 2003/2004 Per capita figures expressed per 1 million population.