The latest report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) once again sees the Philippines as the top rice importer worldwide for 2025, with an anticipated 4.2 million metric tons (MT) of rice import volume.

“The Philippines imports are forecast up to a record 4.2 million tons on continued growth in consumption. The Philippines is expected to again be the largest global rice importer,” their May report read.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is seen to be the second-largest global rice importer, with a projection of 3.0 million MT ‘driven largely by paddy rice imports from Cambodia.’

The USDA also noted that Vietnam kicked up its brown rice imports from India.

European Union imports remain at 2.2 million MT, making it the third largest rice importer globally.

The Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa rice imports are likewise seen to hike due to increased consumption caused by expanding populations and shifting diets.

The US Global Market Analysis report also recorded that Saudi Arabia is expected to increase domestic rice consumption in the Middle East due to both tourism and a growing immigrant labor force facilitating the construction of large-scale projects.

“In Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria is expected to see steady import demand for population growth,” it noted.

The largest change for rice imports in 2025 is in Indonesia, with an estimation of 2.0 million MT to 1.5 million MT import volume due to a larger crop and sufficient beginning stocks.

China, on the other hand, is seen to sustain its multi-year decline in imports, forecast at only 1.5 million tons, which the USDA said is “well below the tariff-rate quota of 5.3 million tons as high global prices reduce the incentive to import.”

For this year, the USDA has projected the Philippines to remain the world’s largest rice importer.

Its report last March showed 4.1 million MT of estimated rice import volume, higher than its February forecast of 3.9 million MT.

The USDA attributed the volume increment to a “smaller crop” harvest, which can be a result caused by El Niño.

The Philippines was the world’s top rice importer in 2023.

Data from Congress shows that an estimated 3.8 million MT was imported last year to supplement the local production of 13.43 million MT.