Cost of a Healthy Diet Rises Sharply Across All Income Groups
August 12, 2025 — The cost of maintaining a healthy diet has increased significantly worldwide between 2017 and 2024, with low-income countries experiencing the steepest rise, according to the World Bank’s latest analysis on global food affordability.
The data, indexed to 2017 levels, shows a steady upward trend across all income classifications, but with a notable acceleration from 2021 onward. While the global average cost of a healthy diet climbed from an index value of 100 in 2017 to over 140 in 2024, low-income countries saw the sharpest increase, surpassing 145 on the index. This reflects both global inflationary pressures and region-specific challenges such as supply chain disruptions, climate impacts, and economic instability.
Upper-middle-income and high-income nations also recorded significant increases, though they remain slightly below the global peak. Lower-middle-income countries, including and excluding India, followed similar trajectories, highlighting that food affordability concerns are no longer limited to the poorest nations.
Experts link the post-2020 surge to multiple factors: pandemic-related economic shocks, spikes in global commodity prices, geopolitical conflicts affecting food exports, and the rising costs of agricultural production due to climate change. The upward pressure on food prices has made it harder for millions to access nutritious diets, increasing the risk of malnutrition and diet-related diseases.
The World Bank warns that without targeted interventions — such as improving food supply chains, investing in sustainable agriculture, and enhancing income support for vulnerable populations — the affordability crisis could deepen, especially in regions already struggling with hunger.
As the cost gap widens, the findings underscore a pressing need for coordinated global action to ensure that access to healthy food is treated not just as a market issue, but as a fundamental component of public health and economic stability.
