2.2.4.b Prevalence of minimum dietary diversity among women aged 15-49 years (MDD-W)

Indicator 2.2.4.b – Prevalence of minimum dietary diversity among women aged 15-49 years (MDD-W)

The Prevalence of minimum dietary diversity, a) among children aged 6-23 months (MDD-C), and (b) among women aged 15-49 years (MDD-W) are population-level food group-based indicators that capture dietary diversity, a core construct of healthy diets.

The MDD-C, for which the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is the custodian agency, is used to estimate the percentage of children 6–23 months of age who consumed foods and beverages from at least five out of eight defined food groups during the previous day.

The MDD-W, for which the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is the custodian agency, is used to estimate the proportion of women aged 15-49 years who consumed at least five out of ten defined food groups over the previous 24 hours, signaling better micronutrient intake.

Healthy diets are fundamental for achieving SDG 2 and a prerequisite for reaching many other goals. The indicator will measure progress towards SDG Target 2.2.

Target 2.2

By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons .

Indicator 2.2.4.b: Progress Assessment

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Impact

The Prevalence of minimum dietary diversity (b) among women aged 15-49 years (MDD-W) provides actionable dietary data that policy makers can use to understand what people are eating, identify population groups at risk of malnutrition, and guide policy interventions that enable healthy diets for all. It complements the information provided by the SDG Indicator 2.1.2 on people's access to adequate food.

Key results

A new SDG indicator of minimum dietary diversity highlights the essential role of healthy diets in ending all forms of malnutrition but points to critical gaps.

To achieve the SDG 2 target, a new indicator on minimum dietary diversity (MDD) has been introduced, emphasizing the vital role of healthy diets in addressing all forms of malnutrition. Globally, between 2019 and 2023, 65 percent of women of childbearing age achieve minimum dietary diversity (MDD-W), with the lowest MDD-W prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa (44 percent) and Central Asia and Southern Asia (48 percent). Moreover, most regions have seen a deterioration over time, with the exception of Northern America and Europe (on track to achieve the target) and Central Asia and Southern Asia (on path but too slow to achieve the target).