The bar chart compares rice production in six countries in 1990 and 2020, in millions of tonnes.
Overall, production rose in every country. China and India remained the two largest producers, but the fastest relative growth occurred in the smaller producers, especially Bangladesh and Vietnam.
China produced 189 million tonnes of rice in 1990 and 212 million in 2020, a relatively modest rise of 23 million tonnes. India's output grew far more, from 111 million tonnes to 178 million, an increase of 67 million, so the gap between the two giants narrowed considerably, from 78 million tonnes to just 34 million.
Among the smaller producers, Indonesia produced 45 million tonnes in 1990 and 55 million in 2020. Bangladesh's output more than doubled over the same period, from 26 million tonnes to 55 million, which put it level with Indonesia by 2020. Vietnam showed an even bigger relative rise, from 19 million tonnes to 43 million. Finally, Thailand's production increased from 17 million to 30 million tonnes, making it the smallest of the six producers at both dates.