This is the only country in the world that produces enough food to feed its entire population if global trade were to stop.

In a world marked by geopolitical tensions, a trade war, and supply chain disruptions, a study has assessed 186 countries' ability to feed themselves solely on domestic production without resorting to imports . Recently published in the journal Nature Food, it reaches some revealing conclusions.

The research , led by the universities of Göttingen (Germany) and Edinburgh (United Kingdom), used the Livewell diet, developed by the World Wildlife Fund, as a reference. This diet promotes a high consumption of vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, and limits products high in fat, sugar, and salt.

Only Guyana, a small South American country with a population of 825,000, achieves complete self-sufficiency in the seven essential food groups : cereals, legumes (such as lentils, peas, and chickpeas), fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, and fish. Its small population and diverse production capacity for basic foodstuffs allow Guyana to cover all its needs. Furthermore, it has a considerable agricultural area, abundant water resources, and a climate conducive to agriculture almost year-round.

The truth is that in Latin America, many countries are highly self-sufficient in fruit production, but vegetable production is insufficient, with the exception of Guyana. It is followed by China and Vietnam , which achieve self-sufficiency in six of the seven groups.

On a global scale, the picture is uneven: only one in seven countries manages to cover five or more food groups. Most of these countries are concentrated in Europe and South America. In contrast, six countries—Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Macao, Qatar, and Yemen—do not produce sufficient quantities of any of the seven groups to meet their domestic demand.

"Low self-sufficiency isn't necessarily negative," Dr. Jonas Stehl, the study's lead researcher, explained to BBC Science Focus. After all, despite attempts at tariff barriers, we live in a global world. However, he warned: " Countries with low self-sufficiency are much more vulnerable to sudden shocks to the global food supply, such as wars, droughts, or export restrictions."

The study also identifies a worrying global shortage: less than half of countries produce enough vegetable protein (beans, lentils, nuts, seeds) or starchy carbohydrates. Only 24% grow enough vegetables to meet their national needs.

In Europe, for example, no problems were detected in dairy production, but no Northern European country managed to meet even half of its fruit demand. Regarding vegetables, the Mediterranean region performed better, while Northern Europe struggled to cope with vegetable production.

And the Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) highlights that several European and Central Asian countries depend on a single trading partner for most of their legumes, nuts, and seeds. Meanwhile, in Central America and the Caribbean, the United States is the main supplier of cereals such as wheat and corn. This dependence on a single partner is also a concern in island nations.

Several regional economic unions also show worrying levels of food dependency. For example, the Gulf Cooperation Council is only self-sufficient in meat. The West African and Caribbean unions only achieve self-sufficiency in two of the seven groups. And countries in regional blocs such as Mercosur and the Andean Community fail to achieve self-sufficiency in even five full food groups.

The Nature Food study makes it clear that global food security depends heavily on international trade. Very few countries are prepared to cope with a sudden disruption of imports. In an increasingly volatile world, this fragility raises the urgent need to rethink food resilience as a strategic priority.