The Food Prices for Nutrition DataHub provides access to global statistics on the cost and affordability of healthy diets and related indicators. These data use food item availability and prices from the International Comparison Program (ICP), combined with food composition data and nutritional requirements from a wide range of sources including the Healthy Diet Basket based on national dietary guidelines.
The 33 indicators and their metadata cover:
Diet costCost of a healthy diet, per person per dayCost of an energy sufficient diet and a nutrient adequate diet, per person per dayCost per person per day, cost share, and cost relative to starchy staples of different food groups (fruits; vegetables; starchy staples; animal-sourced foods; legumes, nuts and seeds; and oils and fats)Diet affordabilityPrevalence of unaffordability and number of people unable to afford each dietRatio of each diet cost to observed national average food expendituresRatio of each diet cost to the food component of the international poverty lines as defined by the World Bank's income group classificationFor further information on definitions and methods please refer to Methodology.
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DATA HIGHLIGHTS
Global food prices rose each year to 2022, largely driven by disruptions from COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. The average cost of a healthy diet was $3.96 per person per day in current purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars, compared with $3.56 in 2021.In low-income countries, the average cost of a healthy diet was $3.48, while in high-income countries it was $3.78. Both lower-middle-income and upper-middle-income country groups recorded the highest cost of $4.20.These diet costs are much higher than the current international poverty line for low-income countries of $2.15 per person per day, and higher than the poverty line for lower-middle-income countries of $3.65. By considering the shares of household expenditure devoted to basic non-food needs for low-income consumers in each country income group based on recent household data compiled by the World Bank, we can establish a food poverty line for each. They are $1.35 (63% of $2.15) in low-income countries, $2.04 (56% of $3.65) in lower-middle-income countries, and $3.15 (46% of $6.85) in upper-middle-income countries. The cost of a healthy diet in each group far exceeds these values.Comparing these costs with income distribution data provides a measure of the affordability of the diet. Around 35% - or 2.8 billion - of the global population could not afford a healthy diet in 2022. Of those, 1.68 billion lived in lower-middle-income countries. The prevalence of unaffordability was highest in low-income countries where 71.5% of the population could not afford a healthy diet.Despite rising food prices, the prevalence of unaffordability fell across all income groups and most regions between the pre-pandemic year of 2019 and 2022. This is attributed to economic recovery despite rising food prices in recent years. The exception was Middle East & North Africa, where the share of people unable to afford a healthy diet rose slightly from 26.7% to 26.9%, and Sub-Saharan Africa where the share rose from 69.3% to 70.3%.The global number of people unable to afford a healthy diet fell to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, fueled by general economic recovery. However, this was uneven across regions with numbers slightly higher than in 2019 in Latin America and the Caribbean and in the Middle East and North Africa, and significantly higher in Sub-Saharan Africa, reaching 851.6 million in 2022, where a rising population impacted the numbers. In 2022, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet dropped below pre-pandemic levels in the upper-middle- and high-income countries while lower-middle- and low-income countries recorded the highest levels since 2017.The cost of each of the six food groups making up the cost of a healthy diet in 2021 is also provided. The most expensive food group is animal-sourced foods, priced on average at $0.99 for the daily quantity needed in a healthy diet. For this food group, the highest cost is in low-income countries at $1.26 and in Sub-Saharan Africa at $1.18. Vegetables are the second most expensive at $0.75 globally, with Latin America & Caribbean having the highest cost of $0.98. Fruits cost $0.66 on average, and East Asia and Pacific has the highest cost of $0.94. The cost of each food group relative to the cost of starchy staples – often an easily accessible food providing calories – is also provided. The cost of vegetables relative to starchy staples was highest in high-income countries at over two times the cost, while animal-source foods were over two times the cost of starchy staples in low-income countries in 2022.[ Back to page top ]
