Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet

Definition

The percent of the population whose food budget is below the cost of a healthy diet.

Relevance

The indicator estimates the percentage of individuals in a population whose disposable income, net of the amount needed to acquire basic non-food goods and services, is lower than the average cost of the least-expensive healthy diet in a country. The expenditures for basic non-food needs are calculated as average non-food expenditure shares of low-income consumers multiplied by international poverty lines set by the World Bank. The non-food expenditure share is 37% and 44% in low-income and lower-middle-income countries for the second quintile of consumers, and 54% in upper-middle-and-high-income countries for the first quintile of consumers, according to recent household surveys for 71 countries compiled by the World Bank. The international poverty lines are $2.15/day for low-income countries, $3.65/day for lower-middle-income countries, $6.85/day for upper-middle-income countries, and $24.36/day for high-income countries, in 2017PPP$. Countries' income classifications follow the calendar year of 2021 standard (fiscal year of 2023 of the World Bank), which is the base year of the latest ICP cycle. Income data are provided by the World Bank’s Poverty and Inequality Platform. A value of zero indicates a null or a small number rounded down at the current precision level. Data available for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. National income distribution data are provided by the World Bank’s Poverty and Inequality Platform and are based on 2017 purchasing power parities (PPPs), updated in fall 2024.