Why a Healthy Diet Remains Unaffordable for One Third of the World
The SOFI 2026 report shows that hunger has declined slightly, but 2.69 billion people still cannot afford a healthy diet.
The decline in global hunger could suggest that access to food is improving everywhere. The SOFI 2026 report provides a more nuanced picture.
In 2025, about 645 million people experienced hunger, equivalent to 7.8% of the world's population and fewer than in 2024. Yet nearly one person in three still could not afford a healthy diet.
Avoiding undernourishment does not mean having a varied diet. A family may meet its energy needs with inexpensive products while lacking nutritious food.
$4.28 | average daily cost of a healthy diet in 2025, compared with $2.94 in 2017 2.69 billion | people unable to afford it, compared with 2.97 billion in 2021 32.7% | of the world's population affected 66.6% | of Africa's population affected
The amounts are expressed in purchasing-power-parity dollars. This is not an exchange rate, but a way to compare what the same amount can actually buy in different countries.
Because affordability depends on two variables rather than one: food prices and the resources remaining after other essential expenses. A diet can become more expensive but more affordable if incomes rise faster. This occurred in some countries, without improving the situation in Africa, where more than half the population experiences moderate or severe food insecurity.
Most of the price is added after the farm
Activities after food leaves the farm account for about 70% to 75% of the price paid by consumers. Processing, logistics and wholesale trade can represent up to 40% of the total cost.
This structure penalises perishable food. Vegetables, fruit, milk and animal products require passable roads, suitable storage, energy and sometimes a cold chain. Where warehouses, reliable transport or electricity are lacking, losses rise and traders incorporate that risk into prices.
Cereals and starchy foods are easier to store and provide calories at lower cost, but do not guarantee dietary diversity. A policy focused only on calorie availability can therefore reduce hunger without solving malnutrition.
What would actually reduce the cost
The main measures identified concern infrastructure: rural roads, irrigation, storage and cold chains. The report also recommends supporting agricultural research, facilitating trade, removing some regulatory barriers and reviewing subsidies that mainly favour calorie-rich foods.
Social assistance completes the response. Cash transfers, school meals and programmes for pregnant women and young children protect access to nutritious food during price increases or income losses.