Is the world eating healthier? A deep dive into global nutrition diet trends

October 10, 2025 •

5 min read

Globally, adult obesity has more than doubled since 1990, while adolescent obesity has quadrupled, directly challenging the notion that the world is eating healthier. Despite modest improvements in dietary quality in some regions, these gains are often offset by rising consumption of unhealthy foods driven by urbanization and market forces.

Quick Summary

The world presents a complex dietary picture with some improvements balanced against rising consumption of processed foods and high obesity rates. Regional and socioeconomic disparities persist, with many unable to afford nutritious diets. Systemic change, not just individual choice, is needed to address this global health challenge.

Key Points

Mixed Progress: Global dietary quality shows only modest improvement, concealing significant regional and socioeconomic disparities, with many unable to afford nutritious food.
Rising Obesity: The prevalence of overweight and obesity has more than doubled in adults and quadrupled in adolescents since 1990, driven largely by unhealthy dietary shifts.
Ultra-Processed Food Problem: Increased consumption of ultra-processed foods, high in sugar, fat, and salt, is a key factor behind rising obesity and diet-related NCDs worldwide.
Persistent Nutritional Gaps: Most regions fall well short of recommended intake levels for fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, indicating a global deficit in nutrient-rich foods.
Influential Factors: Dietary choices are influenced by economic status, education, food marketing (including social media), and access to healthy food, not just individual willpower.
Systemic Change Needed: Fixing global nutrition requires comprehensive food system reforms, supportive public policies, and widespread nutrition education, beyond relying on individual consumer choices.

The Double Burden of Malnutrition

Globally, the world faces a significant and widespread nutrition crisis, often described as a 'double burden of malnutrition'. This phenomenon describes the simultaneous presence of both undernutrition (leading to issues like stunting and wasting) and overnutrition (manifesting as overweight and obesity) within the same populations, and even in the same individuals over their lifetime. Despite global food production keeping pace with population growth, over 820 million people still lack sufficient food, while billions more consume low-quality diets. Meanwhile, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has skyrocketed. A World Health Organization (WHO) report indicates that by 2022, 1 in 8 people globally were living with obesity. Since 1990, adult obesity has more than doubled, and adolescent obesity has quadrupled. This double burden is particularly evident in low- and middle-income countries, where a once-confined problem is rapidly globalizing.

The Rise of Unhealthy Dietary Patterns

The global shift in dietary patterns over recent decades is marked by an increased reliance on processed foods, high energy intake, and insufficient consumption of nutrient-rich options. Rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles have accelerated this trend. Many people now consume more foods high in energy, fats, free sugars, and salt, while not eating enough fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.

Ultra-Processed Foods and Their Impact

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are a primary driver of this unhealthy shift. These products, which include packaged snacks, sugary drinks, and ready meals, are typically low in protein, fiber, and micronutrients but high in energy density, sugars, salt, and unhealthy fats. Research shows that UPFs can make up a substantial portion of a person's daily calorie intake in some high-income nations. This overconsumption is directly linked to the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.

Persistent Nutritional Gaps

Even as calorie intake increases in many areas, serious deficiencies in micronutrients and fiber persist, known as 'hidden hunger'. Data from the Global Nutrition Report reveals significant shortfalls in healthy food consumption compared to recommended levels:

Global vegetable intake: 40% below recommendations.
Global fruit intake: 60% below recommendations.
Global legume and nut intake: 68–74% below recommendations.

Drivers of Dietary Change

Multiple factors influence dietary patterns and make healthy eating a complex challenge for many people around the world.

Economic Factors: The cost of food is a major determinant of diet quality. In 2023, the UN estimated that 40% of the global population could not afford a healthy diet, with low-income countries bearing the brunt of this issue. While reallocating budgets could help, many face genuine financial barriers.
Socioeconomic Disparities: People with higher incomes and education levels tend to have better dietary habits, while lower socioeconomic status is associated with less nutritious food choices. Gender and age also play a role, with some studies showing differences in eating patterns between men and women, and children often having lower-quality diets than adults.
Food Marketing and Social Media: The food industry, particularly marketers of unhealthy foods, heavily targets children and adolescents on social media platforms. This can drive poor dietary habits, influence preferences toward less healthy products, and contribute to body image concerns. Social media influencers also shape eating behaviors, sometimes encouraging unrealistic or unhealthy practices.
Lifestyle Factors: Busy modern lifestyles, time constraints, and a lack of cooking skills contribute to a higher consumption of convenience foods and takeaways. Stress and mood can also influence eating choices, often leading to a higher intake of palatable, calorie-dense foods.

Regional Variations in Dietary Quality: A Comparison


Feature	High-Income Countries	Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Diet Quality Trends	Modest overall improvement between 1990-2018, though gains are often offset by unhealthy habits.	Mixed, with some regions like South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa showing little to no improvement, or even declining quality.
Healthy Food Intake	Intake of fruits and vegetables is still below recommended levels, though often higher than in lower-income countries.	Often face low intake of health-promoting foods like fruits, vegetables, and legumes, alongside high rates of undernutrition.
Unhealthy Food Intake	Highest intake levels of high-fat, high-sugar foods, and processed meats, leading to high obesity rates.	Rapidly adopting Western dietary patterns and seeing a rise in obesity, even as undernutrition persists.
Affordability Challenge	Fewer people struggle with the absolute affordability of food, but socioeconomic disparities in diet quality still exist.	High percentage of the population, over 70% in some cases, cannot afford a healthy diet.

Pathways to a Healthier Future

Addressing the global dietary challenge requires a multi-pronged approach involving governments, international organizations, industry, and individuals.

Policy and Regulation

Governments can play a crucial role in shaping a healthier food environment through policy. Examples include implementing sugar taxes to reduce consumption of sugary drinks, regulating the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, and using front-of-pack labeling to help consumers make informed choices.

Food System Transformation

Transforming our food systems is vital for both human and planetary health. This involves fostering sustainable agricultural practices that prioritize the production of nutritious foods, reducing environmental impacts, and creating a food system that can reliably deliver healthy diets to all.

Actionable Steps for Individuals

Prioritize Whole Foods: Focus on consuming a diverse range of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean proteins, which are central to a healthy diet.
Reduce Processed Foods: Limit the intake of ultra-processed snacks, fast food, and sugary drinks, opting for homemade meals whenever possible.
Enhance Nutrition Literacy: Learn to critically evaluate nutritional information from various sources, especially on social media, to counter misinformation.
Cook at Home: Developing cooking skills and preparing more meals at home offers greater control over ingredients and nutrients.

Conclusion: A Complex Journey Towards Better Nutrition

Ultimately, the answer to the question, 'Is the world eating healthier?' is a complicated one. While progress has been made in some areas and awareness is growing, the widespread rise of processed food consumption, persistent nutritional gaps, and increasing obesity rates suggest the global trend is not uniformly positive. The challenges are deeply rooted in socioeconomic disparities, rapid urbanization, and powerful marketing forces. Addressing this crisis requires a holistic approach that tackles systemic issues while also empowering individuals to make informed and healthy choices. For more information on global nutrition and healthy dietary practices, see the World Health Organization's resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

According to a 2022 study in Nature Food, global dietary quality has shown only modest improvement between 1990 and 2018. While some regions saw slight gains, they were often offset by increases in unhealthy food consumption, such as processed meats and sugary drinks.

A major challenge is the affordability and accessibility of healthy food. The UN estimates that in 2023, 40% of the world's population could not afford a healthy diet, with low-income countries disproportionately affected.

The increased consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which are high in energy, fats, and sugars, contributes significantly to rising obesity rates and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and heart disease worldwide.

The double burden of malnutrition refers to the coexistence of undernutrition (stunting, wasting) and overweight or obesity within the same population, particularly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.

Social media has a dual effect: it can promote healthy eating and recipes, but it also heavily influences poor dietary habits through the marketing of unhealthy foods, peer pressure, and the promotion of unrealistic body image ideals.

Not necessarily. While high-income countries often have greater access to a variety of foods, they also have the highest intake levels of unhealthy options like red and processed meats, and the highest rates of overweight and obesity. Poorer countries often face the dual challenge of undernutrition and rising overnutrition.

Policies aimed at improving nutrition include implementing taxes on sugary drinks, regulating the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, strengthening food labeling, and encouraging the food industry to reformulate products to be healthier.

Individuals can prioritize whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, reduce their intake of processed foods and sugary drinks, improve their nutrition literacy, and cook more meals at home to have better control over ingredients.