The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023

The cost and affordability of a healthy diet, and the change of these indicators from 2019 to 2021, are reported in Table 5 by region, subregion and country income group, following the World Bank classification of countries by income level for 2022, based on per capita gross national income in 2021. Income classification is provided for all countries and territories except Anguilla and Montserrat.

Cost and affordability are also reported at the country level in Table A3.1 for the reference year 2017 when the ICP data were released, as well as for 2018–2021 when the two indicators are updated using the methodology described in Annex 2, Section D. In 2018–2021, the cost indicator was updated for 166 of the 169 countries and territories with information available in 2017, while affordability was updated for 142 of the 143 countries and territories. For Argentina and Zimbabwe, cost and affordability in 2018–2021 are used to estimate aggregate indicators shown in Table 5 but are not reported in Table A3.1. To update the costs in 2018–2021, PPP exchange rates for both countries are imputed, but they may not thoroughly reflect the severe currency devaluation and/or economic instability that the countries have experienced. Table A3.2 provides ranges of the affordability indicators globally, as well as by region, subregion and country income group, which show the percentage and number of people unable to afford a healthy diet in 2021. Lower-bound estimates assume that 80 percent of income is allocated to food, as this represents the largest expenditure share on food observed in the ICP 2017 data (in Guinea-Bissau). Upper-bound estimates assume that the share of income reserved for food varies by country income group. Following ICP 2017 national accounts data, food expenditures represent, on average, 14 percent, 27 percent, 38 percent and 52 percent of total expenditures in high-income countries, upper-middle-income countries, lower-middle-income countries and low-income countries, respectively. For a full description of the methodology used to determine these ranges, see Herforth et al. (2020).²³

Table A3.1The cost and affordability of a healthy diet by region, subregion, country and country income group, 2017–2021

NOTES: The table shows the cost and affordability of a healthy diet at the country level, as well as by region, subregion, and country income group in 2017–2021. For each region, subregion and country income group, the unaffordability estimated as the percentage of the population unable to afford a healthy diet is population weighted. The 2022 World Bank classification of countries by income group is used for all years from 2017 to 2021 and for all countries and territories except Anguilla and Montserrat, for which income classification is not provided. n.a. = data not available. n.r. = data not reported because of insufficient or unreliable data to update cost and affordability. * Cost and affordability of a healthy diet include Zimbabwe. ** Cost and affordability of a healthy diet include Argentina. ^a PPP was imputed in this year.
SOURCE: FAO. 2023. FAOSTAT: Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet (CoAHD). In: FAO. [Cited 12 July 2023]. www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/CAHD

Table A3.2Lower- and upper-bound estimates of the percentage and number of people (in millions) unable to afford a healthy diet, by region, subregion and country income group in 2021

SOURCE: Authors’ (FAO) own elaboration.