Rice Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Bowl of White Rice
  • Name: Rice
  • Type of Food: Cereal Grain
  • Produced From: Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima
  • Total Calories: 206 (one cup, 158 grams)
  • Total Fat: 0.4 grams (one cup, 158 grams)
  • Total Protein: 4.3 grams (one cup, 158 grams)
  • Total Carbohydrates: 45 grams (one cup, 158 grams)

31 Rice Facts for Kids

  1. Rice is a food grown and consumed by humans worldwide.
  2. Rice is a cereal grain, which is any grass grown for food.
  3. All rice is originally brown, but its color changes based on how it’s processed.
  4. Rice can be brown (before processing), white, black or purple.
  5. Rice is a seed that comes from one of two grass species, Asian rice (Oryza sativa) and African rice (Oryza glaberrima).
  6. There are over 40,000 different varieties of rice that are subspecies of either Asian or African rice.
  7. The origin of domesticated rice is heavily debated, and the current evidence available suggests it was either first domesticated in China or India.
  8. Over half of the world’s population considers rice as a staple food.
  9. In 2011, it was estimated that rice accounted for 20% of the world’s dietary energy supply.
  10. According to FAOSTAT, the world produced over 862 million tons of rice in 2018.
  11. According to FAOSTAT, the largest producer of rice in 2018 was China with over 233 million tons.
  12. According to FAOSTAT, the second largest producer of rice in 2018 was India with over 190 million tons.
  13. Based on FAOSTAT data, China and India combined produced over 49% of the rice supply in 2018.
  14. Based on FAOSTAT data, rice was the second most commercially produced crop in 2018.
  15. The composition of rice is 68% water, 28% carbohydrates, 3% protein and negligible amounts of fat.
  16. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains 206 calories.
  17. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains less than a gram of fat.
  18. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains no cholesterol.
  19. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains 2 milligrams of sodium.
  20. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains 55 milligrams of potassium.
  21. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains 45 grams of carbohydrates.
  22. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains less than a gram of dietary fiber.
  23. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains less than a gram of sugar.
  24. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains 4.3 grams of protein.
  25. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains 1% of the recommended Daily Value of calcium.
  26. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains 1% of the recommended Daily Value of iron.
  27. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains 4% of the recommended Daily Value of magnesium.
  28. One cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) contains 5% of the recommended Daily Value of vitamin B-6.
  29. According to the Guinness World Records, the heaviest bag of rice weighed 1,227 pounds. This record was set on February 22nd, 2016 by KRBL Limited in Dubai, UAE.
  30. According to the Guinness World Records, the most expensive kilogram of rice cost $109. This record was set on June 30th, 2016 by Toyo Rice Corporation in Japan.
  31. According to the Guinness World Records, the largest rice cake weighed 8,113 pounds. This record was set on October 7th, 2007 by Kwak Sungho in South Korea.

Additional Resources on Rice

  • Rice Nutrition Facts – Learn about rice’s nutrition facts on the USDA FoodData Central website.
  • Facts About Rice – Discover more amazing facts about rice on the Rice Fest website.
  • Health Benefits of Rice – Find out the health benefits of eating on the Harvard University website.
  • Rice – Wikipedia – Read more about rice, its history and production on the Wikipedia website.

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