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Potassium: the daily reference intake
EFSA sets an adequate intake of 3 500 mg of potassium a day for adults, on blood-pressure evidence. The number on a European label is 2 000 mg, so a food can legitimately claim to supply half your labelled reference intake while covering less than a third of the EFSA figure.
These are published population reference values, not a diagnosis and not a prescription. A reference intake describes what covers a healthy group; it cannot tell you your own status, and no page can. Pregnancy, chronic illness, medicines and malabsorption all change the picture — take those questions to a doctor, midwife, pharmacist or dietitian.
Potassium by age, sex and life stage
Potassium is one of the few nutrients where the adult adequate intake is reached at 15 years and then never changes again except during breastfeeding.
| Group | Reference value | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children 1-3 years | 800 mg | AI | |
| Children 4-6 years | 1 100 mg | AI | |
| Children 7-10 years | 1 800 mg | AI | |
| Children 11-14 years | 2 700 mg | AI | |
| Boys 15-17 years | 3 500 mg | AI | |
| Girls 15-17 years | 3 500 mg | AI | |
| Men 19-50 | 3 500 mg | AI | |
| Women 19-50 | 3 500 mg | AI | |
| Men 51 and over | 3 500 mg | AI | |
| Women 51 and over | 3 500 mg | AI | |
| Adults 65 and over | 3 500 mg | AI | |
| Pregnancy | 3 500 mg | AI | no increase in pregnancy |
| Breastfeeding | 4 000 mg | AI | raised to replace what leaves in the milk |
The label number and the reference value disagree
This is the widest gap in the whole table. Annex XIII of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 sets the labelling reference for potassium at 2 000 mg, while the EFSA adequate intake for adults is 3 500 mg. Both are correct within their own frame: the label figure is a legal denominator fixed for the whole EU, and the EFSA figure is a scientific reference intake published later.
The practical effect is that potassium percentages on packs read high. Divide the milligrams by 3 500 yourself if you want the EFSA-relative figure.
Why the number is set on blood pressure
EFSA based the 3 500 mg adequate intake on the relationship between potassium intake and blood pressure in adults, and it noted the associated evidence on stroke risk. Potassium works against sodium in blood-pressure regulation, which is why potassium and salt are best read as one page rather than two: raising potassium and lowering salt push in the same direction.
Everyday sources beat exotic ones
Bananas have the reputation, but potatoes, root vegetables, tomatoes, legumes, milk, fish and meat all carry more per realistic portion than the fruit bowl suggests. A 200 g portion of boiled potato does more for the daily figure than a banana does. The food table below is ordered by what one ordinary portion actually delivers, which reorders the usual list considerably.
Cooking method matters for potassium in a way it does not for most minerals: boiling leaches it into the water. Steaming, baking or using the cooking liquid keeps more of it.
When more potassium is the wrong advice
Everything above assumes normal kidney function. Chronic kidney disease, and several common blood-pressure medicines, reduce the ability to excrete potassium, and in that situation a high-potassium diet or a potassium chloride salt substitute is actively dangerous. Anyone in that group should follow their own clinical advice and ignore this page.
The upper level
No upper level has been set for potassium from foods. Potassium supplements and potassium-based salt substitutes are a different matter entirely: in reduced kidney function, or on ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers or potassium-sparing diuretics, they can raise blood potassium dangerously. That is a conversation with a doctor or pharmacist, not a shelf decision.
Ordinary food against the 3 500 mg adult adequate intake
Top of this list: Soybeans, 773 mg in a 150 g serving (a portion, cooked) — 22% of the 3 500 mg adult adequate intake. It would take about 5 of those to cover a full day from that one food, which is why a real diet spreads it across several rows.
| Food | Ordinary portion | Per portion | Share of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soybeans | a portion, cooked, 150 g | 773 mg | 22% |
| Potato (boiled) | two medium potatoes, 200 g | 758 mg | 22% |
| Salmon | a fillet, 120 g | 754 mg | 22% |
| Sweet potato | a medium one, 150 g | 713 mg | 20% |
| Lentils | a portion, cooked, 180 g | 664 mg | 19% |
| Trout | a fillet, 120 g | 540 mg | 15% |
| Black beans | a portion, cooked, 150 g | 533 mg | 15% |
| Boneless pork chop | a chop, 120 g | 488 mg | 14% |
| Avocado | half an avocado, 100 g | 485 mg | 14% |
| Mackerel | a fillet, 120 g | 481 mg | 14% |
| Spinach | a large handful, 80 g | 446 mg | 13% |
| Chickpeas | a portion, cooked, 150 g | 437 mg | 12% |
Portion sizes are ordinary household servings chosen for this table, not official reference portions, and the shortlist is an editorial one: everyday foods eaten in this region rather than the highest per-100 g entries in the database. A raw per-100 g ranking would be topped by dried herbs, drink powders and fortified breakfast cereals, which answers a different question. The composition data is American, so where US fortification practice differs from European practice the row carries a dagger and the reason. For the full per-100 g ranking of a nutrient, the food-data section of this site publishes one.
For the full ranking of every food in the database by potassium per 100 g, see foods highest in potassium.
Sources: EFSA Dietary Reference Values · Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII · USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy (food composition) · EFSA scientific opinion on dietary reference values for potassium (2016) · Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII · checked 2026-09-06
Frequently asked questions
How much potassium a day?
EFSA adequate intake for adults is 3 500 mg a day, rising to 4 000 mg while breastfeeding.
Why does the label say 2 000 mg?
Because 2 000 mg is the labelling reference value in Annex XIII of EU Regulation 1169/2011. The EFSA scientific adequate intake, published later, is 3 500 mg.
Are bananas the best source of potassium?
No. Per ordinary portion, potatoes, root vegetables, legumes, tomatoes, fish and milk generally deliver more than a banana does.
See your own numbers, not the population average
TempoLife logs what you eat and adds it up, so you can compare a real week against the reference intake on this page instead of guessing.