STATE OF FOOD SECURITY & NUTRITION IN THE WORLD

STATE OF FOOD SECURITY & NUTRITION IN THE WORLD

Why in News?

• The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2026 report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, highlights a significant decline in undernourishment in India over the past two decades.
• However, the report notes that 5 million people remain undernourished, while 520.1 million people cannot afford a healthy diet.

KEY FINDINGS FOR INDIA

Decline in Undernourishment

• The share of undernourished population declined from: ○ 21.1% (2004–06) to 9.8% (2023–25).
• Number of undernourished people reduced from: ○ 243.9 million to 142.5 million.
• This represents a reduction of approximately 101 million people.

Affordability of a Healthy Diet

• As of 2025, 1 million people (35.5% of the population) were unable to afford a healthy diet.
• The proportion declined from 59.8% in 2017, but more than one in every three Indians still cannot regularly afford a nutritionally adequate diet.

RISING COST OF HEALTHY DIET

• Since 2017, the cost of a healthy diet in India has increased by nearly 48%.
• During the same period, the increase was about 32% in the United States.
• In 2025, the cost of a healthy diet in India was estimated at PPP $4.11 per person per day.

INDIA IN COMPARISON

OTHER COUNTRIES

POSITIVE TREND

• The report notes that the decline in the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet among lower-middle-income countries has been driven mainly by India.
• Excluding India, the report indicates an increasing trend in the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet among these countries.

NUTRITION INDICATORS

Child Stunting

• Among children below five years:
  • 41.7% (2012) → 32.9% (2024).
• Indicates improvement in chronic undernutrition.

Child Wasting

• Wasting stood at 18.7% in 2024.
• The report notes that this remains among the higher rates globally.

Overweight among Children

• Increased from:
  • 2.1% to 3.7% over the same period.

Adult Obesity

• The report states that adult obesity has doubled. Anaemia among Women
• Among women aged 15–49 years, anaemia increased from:
  • 50.1% to 53.7%.

KEY CONCERNS

• A large population continues to experience undernourishment.
• More than one-third of the population cannot afford a healthy diet.
• Rising cost of nutritious food.
• High prevalence of child wasting.
• Increasing incidence of overweight and obesity.
• Rising anaemia among women of reproductive age.

SIGNIFICANCE

• The report highlights significant progress in reducing undernourishment in India over the past two decades.
• It also underscores the continuing challenge of ensuring affordable, nutritious diets for all.
• The findings point to the double burden of malnutrition, with persistent undernutrition alongside rising overweight, obesity and anaemia.
• India’s progress has contributed significantly to improving affordability of healthy diets among lower-middle-income countries.

Note: Connect with Vajirao & Reddy Institute to keep yourself updated with latest UPSC Current Affairs in English.

Note: We upload Current Affairs Except Sunday.