Dataset and metadata

The datasets for the 2021 Global Nutrition Report contain data for all the indicators used in this year's country profiles. The data is compiled from secondary sources including the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Bank, among many others that have contributed their data. Datasets broadly contain information on adult and child nutrition, economics and demography, nutrition intervention coverage, and policies and legislation in the nutrition sector.

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Overview

Progress against global nutrition targets

Definition

The Global Nutrition Report assesses country progress against 10 of the global nutrition targets using projected data and average annual rates of reduction (AARR).

Data is unavailable for many countries across the targets ranging from three on Anaemia amongst women of reproductive age to 98 on exclusive breastfeeding. Where adequate data exists, progress is expressed as ‘on course’, ‘some progress’, or ‘no progress or worsening’ for maternal, infant and young child nutrition targets and ‘on course’ or ‘off course’ for nutrition-related NCD targets. Regional progress is expressed as the total number of constituent countries that are ‘on course’.

Data type

Various – data types, methods and sources for assessing progress differ between the targets

Source

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Child (under 5) nutrition status

Under-5 stunting

Definition

Percentage of children aged 0–59 months who are more than two standard deviations below median height for age of the WHO Child Growth Standards. Regional data, where disaggregated, is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Population surveys

Source

UNICEF/WHO/World Bank. Joint child malnutrition estimates expanded database: Stunting, wasting and overweight. https://data.unicef.org/resources/dataset/malnutrition-data. Accessed 31 August 2021.

Under-5 wasting

Definition

Percentage of children aged 0–59 months who are more than two (moderate and severe) standard deviations below median weight for height of the WHO Child Growth Standards. Regional data, where disaggregated, is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Population surveys

Source

UNICEF/WHO/World Bank. Joint child malnutrition estimates expanded database: Stunting, wasting and overweight. https://data.unicef.org/resources/dataset/malnutrition-data. Accessed 31 August 2021.

Under-5 overweight

Definition

Percentage of children under 5 years who are more than two standard deviations above the median weight-for-height of the WHO Child Growth Standards. Regional data, where disaggregated, is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Population surveys

Source

UNICEF/WHO/World Bank. Joint child malnutrition estimates expanded database: Stunting, wasting and overweight. https://data.unicef.org/resources/dataset/malnutrition-data. Accessed 31 August 2021.

Coexistence of wasting, stunting and overweight

Definition

Coexistence of wasting, stunting and overweight among children under 5 years of age.

Data type

Population surveys

Source

UNICEF. Global databases: Overlapping stunting, wasting and overweight. https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/malnutrition. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Low birth weight

Definition

Infants born weighing less than 2,500 grams (5.51 pounds).

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

UNICEF/WHO. Low birthweight estimates. https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/low-birthweight. Accessed 24 August 2021.

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Infant and young child feeding

Early initiation of breastfeeding

Definition

Proportion of children born in the last 24 months who were put to the breast within one hour of birth.

Data type

Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and other nationally representative surveys

Source

UNICEF. Infant and young child feeding. Published online September 2021. http://data.unicef.org/nutrition/iycf. Accessed 1 October 2021.

Exclusive breastfeeding

Definition

Proportion of infants aged 0–5 months who received only breast milk during the previous day.

Data type

MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys

Source

UNICEF. Infant and young child feeding. Published online September 2021. http://data.unicef.org/nutrition/iycf. Accessed 1 October 2021.

Introduction of solid, semi-solid or soft foods

Definition

Percentage of infants aged 6–8 months who received solid, semi-solid or soft foods during the previous day.

Data type

MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys

Source

UNICEF. Infant and young child feeding. Published online September 2021. http://data.unicef.org/nutrition/iycf. Accessed 1 October 2021.

Continued breastfeeding at 1 year

Definition

Proportion of children aged 12–15 months who received breast milk during the previous day.

Data type

MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys

Source

UNICEF. Infant and young child feeding. Published online July 2021. http://data.unicef.org/nutrition/iycf. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Continued breastfeeding at 2 years

Definition

Proportion of children aged 20–23 months who received breast milk during the previous day.

Data type

MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys

Source

UNICEF. Infant and young child feeding. Published online July 2021. http://data.unicef.org/nutrition/iycf. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Minimum dietary diversity

Definition

Proportion of children aged 6–23 months who received foods from five or more food groups during the previous day.

Data type

MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys

Source

UNICEF. Infant and young child feeding. Published online September 2021. http://data.unicef.org/nutrition/iycf. Accessed 1 October 2021.

Minimum meal frequency

Definition

Proportion of children aged 6–23 months who received solid, semi-solid, soft foods, or (for breastfed children) milk feeds, the minimum number of times or more during the previous day.

Data type

MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys

Source

UNICEF. Infant and young child feeding. Published September 2021. http://data.unicef.org/nutrition/iycf. Accessed 1 October 2021.

Minimum acceptable diet

Definition

Composite indicator: Proportion of breastfed children aged 6–23 months who had at least the minimum dietary diversity and the minimum meal frequency during the previous day, and the proportion of non-breastfed children aged 6–23 months who received at least two milk feedings and had at least the minimum dietary diversity, not including milk feeds, and the minimum meal frequency during the previous day.

Data type

MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys

Source

UNICEF. Infant and young child feeding. Published September 2021. http://data.unicef.org/nutrition/iycf. Accessed 1 October 2021.

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Child and adolescent (aged 5–19) nutrition status

Child and adolescent thinness

Definition

Percentage of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years who are more than two standard deviations below the median BMI-for-age of the WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents. Regional data is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Modelled estimates and projected estimates

Source

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. Values for 2000 to 2016 are published online. http://ncdrisc.org/data-downloads.html. Accessed 24 August 2021. Projected values for 2019 were provided directly to the Global Nutrition Report by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.

Child and adolescent overweight

Definition

Percentage of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years who are more than one standard deviation above the median BMI-for-age of the WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents. Regional data is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Modelled estimates and projected estimates

Source

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. Values for 2000 to 2016 are published online. http://ncdrisc.org/data-downloads.html. Accessed 24 August 2021. Projected values for 2019 were provided directly to the Global Nutrition Report by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.

Child and adolescent obesity

Definition

Percentage of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years who are more than two standard deviations above the median BMI-for-age of the WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents. Regional data is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Modelled estimates and projected estimates

Source

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. Values for 2000 to 2016 are published online. http://ncdrisc.org/data-downloads.html. Accessed 24 August 2021. Projected values for 2019 were provided directly to the Global Nutrition Report by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.

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Adult nutrition status

Adult underweight

Definition

Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older with a BMI lower than 18.5 kg/m2. Regional data is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Modelled estimates and projected estimates

Source

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. Values for 2000 to 2016 are published online. http://ncdrisc.org/data-downloads.html. Accessed 24 August 2021. Projected values for 2019 were provided directly to the Global Nutrition Report by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.

Adult overweight

Definition

Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older with a BMI of 25 kg/m2 or higher. Regional data is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. Values for 2000 to 2016 are published online. http://ncdrisc.org/data-downloads.html. Accessed 24 August 2021. Projected values for 2019 were provided directly to the Global Nutrition Report by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.

Adult obesity

Definition

Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or higher. Regional data is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Modelled estimates and projected estimates

Source

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. Values for 2000 to 2016 are published online. http://ncdrisc.org/data-downloads.html. Accessed 24 August 2021. Projected values for 2019 were provided directly to the Global Nutrition Report by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.

Anaemia in women of reproductive age

Definition

Prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age (15–49 years), both pregnant and non- pregnant, with haemoglobin levels below 12 g/dL for non-pregnant women and below 11 g/dL for pregnant women. Where estimates are not provided, regional data is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

WHO. Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics. www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators. Accessed 2 September 2021.

Raised blood pressure

Definition

Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older with raised blood pressure – defined as blood pressure, systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg. Regional data is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Modelled estimates and projected estimates

Source

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. Values for 2000 to 2016 are published online. http://ncdrisc.org/data-downloads.html. Accessed 24 August 2021. Projected values for 2019 were provided directly to the Global Nutrition Report by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.

Diabetes

Definition

Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older with diabetes – fasting glucose 7.0 mmol/L, on medication for raised blood glucose, or with history of diagnosis of diabetes. Regional data is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Modelled estimates and projected estimates

Source

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. Values for 2000 to 2016 are published online. http://ncdrisc.org/data-downloads.html. Accessed 24 August 2021. Projected values for 2019 were provided directly to the Global Nutrition Report by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.

Deaths attributable to dietary risk factors

Definition

Deaths (in millions) attributable to dietary risk factors by cause of death for risks related to dietary composition and weight levels. The combined risk is less than the sum of individual risks because individuals can be exposed to multiple risks, but mortality is ascribed to one risk and cause.

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

New analysis based on estimates of: food intake from the Global Dietary Database, https://www.globaldietarydatabase.org/data-download; weight measurements from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, http://ncdrisc.org/data-downloads.html; risk-disease relationships from the epidemiological literature (Bechthold et al. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 2019; 59: 1071–90; Schwingshackl et al. European Journal of Epidemiology 2017; 32: 363–75; Schwingshackl et al. International Journal of Cancer 2018; 142: 1748–58; Afshin et al. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2014 (ajcn.076901); Aune et al. BMC Medicine 2016; 14: 207; Aune et al. International Journal of Epidemiology 2016; published online 18 March; Di Angelantonio et al. Lancet 2016; 388: 776–86; Aune et al. British Medical Journal 2016; 353: i2716; Imamura et al. British Medical Journal 2015; 351: h3576; Xi et al. British Journal of Nutrition 2015; 113: 709–17); and mortality and population estimates from the Global Burden of Disease project, http://www.healthdata.org/gbd/gbd-2019-resources.

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Dietary needs

Consumption of food groups and components

Definition

Intake of select foods and nutrients by adults aged 20 and older, compared against the recommended intake from the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems.

The dietary factors have been selected as those diet components that have a statistically significant relationship with at least one disease endpoint that can be generalisable to all populations. Recommended intake targets were determined by the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. This includes minimum recommended intakes of health promoting foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and wholegrains) and maximum recommended intakes of foods with detrimental health and/or environmental impacts (red meat, dairy, and fish).

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

Tufts University. Global Dietary Database. Published online 2019. https://www.globaldietarydatabase.org/data-download. Accessed 6 September 2021.

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Intervention coverage

Children 0–59 months with diarrhoea in the past two weeks preceding the survey who received zinc treatment

Definition

Percentage of children under 5 years of age with diarrhoea in the past two weeks preceding the survey who received zinc treatment.

Data type

Survey

Source

UNICEF. Global Databases: Child Health. https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-health/diarrhoeal-disease. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Children 6–59 months who received two high-dose vitamin A supplements in a calendar year

Definition

Percentage of children aged 6–59 months who received two high-dose vitamin A supplements in a calendar year.

Data type

Survey

Source

UNICEF. Global Databases: Child Health. https://data.unicef.org/resources/dataset/vitamin-supplementation. Accessed 31 August 2021.

Children 6–59 months given iron supplements in the seven days preceding the survey

Definition

Percentage of children aged 6–59 months who were given iron supplements in the seven days preceding the survey.

Data type

Data is compiled using STATcompiler and taken from country DHS for 2005–2018

Source

STATcompiler. The DHS Program. www.statcompiler.com. Accessed 31 August 2021.

Women with a live birth in the five years preceding the survey who received iron tablets or syrup during antenatal care

Definition

Percentage of women with a birth in the five years preceding the survey who received iron tablets and syrup during antenatal care.

Data type

Data is compiled using STATcompiler and taken from country DHS for 2005–2018

Source

STATcompiler. The DHS Program. www.statcompiler.com. Accessed 31 August 2021.

Households consuming any iodised salt

Definition

Percentage of households with any iodised salt.

Data type

Survey

Source

UNICEF. Global databases on iodized salt. https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/iodine. Accessed 24 August 2021.

8 Share section

Underlying determinants

Drinking water coverage

Definition

Percentage of the population using improved drinking-water sources – based on the following categories: ‘safely managed’, drinking water from an improved water source that is located on premises, available when needed and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination; ‘basic’, drinking water from an improved source, provided collection time is not more than 30 minutes for a round trip, including queuing; ‘limited’, drinking water from an improved source for which collection time exceeds 30 minutes for a roundtrip including queuing; ‘unimproved’, drinking water from an unprotected dug well or unprotected spring; ‘surface water’, drinking water directly from a river, dam, lake, pond, stream, canal or irrigation canal.

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

WHO/UNICEF. Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation. https://washdata.org/data. Accessed 2 September 2021.

Sanitation coverage

Definition

Percentage of the population using improved sanitation facilities – based on the following categories: ‘safely managed’, use of improved facilities that are not shared with other households and where excreta are safely disposed in situ or transported and treated off-site; ‘basic’, use of improved facilities that are not shared with other households; ‘limited’, use of improved facilities shared between two or more households; ‘unimproved’, use of pit latrines without a slab or platform, hanging latrines or bucket latrines; ‘open defecation’, disposal of human faeces in fields, forests, bushes, open bodies of water, beaches and other open spaces or with solid waste.

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

WHO/UNICEF. Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation. https://washdata.org/data. Accessed 2 September 2021.

Undernourishment

Definition

The percentage of the population whose habitual food consumption is insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels required to maintain a normal active and healthy life. Calculated from three-year averages of modelled estimates, with the associated year being the middle year of those three (e.g., 2018 estimate is the average of 2017–2019).

Data type

Food security indicator

Source

FAO Statistics Division. Food Security/Suite of Food Security Indicators. http://www.fao.org/sustainable-development-goals/indicators/211/en. Accessed 31 August 2021.

Early childbearing – births by 18 years of age

Definition

Percentage of women aged 20–24 years who gave birth before 18 years of age.

Data type

Based on MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys

Source

UNICEF. Global Databases: Maternal and Newborn Health Coverage. http://data.unicef.org/maternal-health/delivery-care. Accessed 2 September 2021.

Gender inequality index

Definition

Measurement of gender inequalities in terms of three important aspects of human development: reproductive health – measured by maternal mortality ratio and adolescent birth rates; empowerment – measured by proportion of parliamentary seats occupied by women and proportion of women and men aged 25 years and older with at least some secondary education; and economic status – expressed as labour market participation and measured by labour force participation rate of female and male populations aged 15 years and older.

Data type

Composite index

Source

UN Development Programme, Human Development Reports. Gender Inequality Index. http://hdr.undp.org/en/indicators/68606#. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Female secondary education enrolment

Definition

The total number of female students in the official school age range for upper secondary education who are enrolled in any level of education out of the overall population of the same age group.

Data type

Population surveys

Source

UNESCO Institute for Statistics. http://data.uis.unesco.org/. Accessed 24 August 2021.

9 Share section

Resources

Development assistance

Definition

Official development assistance (ODA) received/disbursed (US$ millions/% of total); disbursements of ODA from/to countries, reported to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) under the basic nutrition purpose code (number 12240).

Amounts based on gross ODA disbursements, constant 2019 prices; includes ODA grants and loans, but excludes other official flows and private grants reported to the OECD DAC Creditor Reporting System (CRS). Regional data is the sum of disbursements received or made by constituent countries.

Data type

Disbursements.

Source

Development Initiatives based on OECD DAC CRS

10 Share section

Policies and targets

Food-based dietary guidelines

Definition

Countries with national food-based dietary guidelines. Typically, a set of recommendations in terms of foods, food groups and dietary patterns to provide the required nutrients to promote overall health and prevent chronic diseases. Regional data is expressed as the total number of constituent countries with guidelines.

Source

Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). Food-based dietary guidelines. http://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-based-dietary-guidelines/en. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Mandatory legislation for salt iodisation

Definition

Countries with legal documentation that has the effect of mandating the iodisation of salt. Regional data is expressed as the total number of constituent countries that have mandatory legislation.

Source

Global Fortification Data Exchange. https://fortificationdata.org/interactive-map-fortification-legislation. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Sugar-sweetened beverage tax

Definition

Jurisdictions with implemented sugar-sweetened beverage taxes. Regional data is expressed as the total number of constituent countries with implemented sugar-sweetened beverage taxes.

Source

WHO. Global Health Observatory Data Repository. www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators. Accessed 2 September 2021.

Policy to reduce salt consumption

Definition

Country has implemented a policy (or policies) to reduce population salt/sodium consumption such as product reformulation by industry, regulation of salt content of food or public awareness programmes. This indicator is based on those of countries who have responded “Yes” to the question “Is your country implementing any policies to reduce population salt consumption?”. Method of estimation: official country response to the NCD Country Capacity Survey.

Source

WHO. Global Health Observatory Data Repository. www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Policy to limit saturated fatty acids

Definition

Policy (or policies) to reduce population saturated fatty acid intake. This indicator is based on those countries who have responded “Yes” to the question “Is your country implementing any national policies to reduce population saturated fatty acid intake?”. Method of estimation: official country response to the NCD Country Capacity Survey.

Source

WHO. Global Health Observatory Data Repository. www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Policy to eliminate industrially produced trans fatty acids

Definition

Policy (or policies) to eliminate industrially produced trans-fatty acids in the food supply. This indicator is based on those countries who have responded “Yes” to the question “Is your country implementing any national policies to eliminate industrially produced trans-fatty acids (i.e. partially hydrogenated oils) in the food supply?”. Method of estimation: official country response to the NCD Country Capacity Survey.

Source

WHO. Global Health Observatory Data Repository. www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Policy to reduce the impact of marketing of foods and beverages high in saturated fats, trans fatty acids, free sugars, or salt on children

Definition

Policy (or policies) to reduce the impact on children of marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages high in saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars or salt. This indicator is based on those countries who responded “Yes” to the question “Is your country implementing any policies to reduce the impact on children of marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages high in saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars, or salt?". Method of estimation: official country response to the NCD Country Capacity Survey.

Source

WHO. Global Health Observatory Data Repository. www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Operational, multisectoral national NCD policy, strategy or action plan

Definition

Country has an operational, multisectoral national NCD policy, strategy or action plan that integrates several NCDs and their risk factors: 'multisectoral' refers to engagement with one or more government sectors outside health; 'operational' refers to a policy, strategy or action plan which is being used and implemented in the country, and has resources and funding available to implement it. Countries who have a "Yes" for this indicator have responded “Yes” to the question “Does your country have a national NCD policy, strategy or action plan which integrates several NCDs and their risk factors?” and the sub-question “Is it multisectoral?”. Countries also had to respond “operational” for the sub-question “Indicate its stage”. They also had to indicate that the policy/strategy/action plan addresses the four main risk factors for NCDs (harmful alcohol use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco) and the four main NCDs (cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes). An exception is made for alcohol according to national context. Method of estimation: official country response to the NCD Country Capacity Survey.

Source

WHO. Global Health Observatory Data Repository. www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Operational policy, strategy or action plan to reduce unhealthy diet related to NCDs

Definition

Country has an operational policy, strategy or action plan for unhealthy diet. Method of estimation: official country response to WHO NCD Country Capacity Survey.

Source

WHO. Global Health Observatory Data Repository. www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Operational policy, strategy or action plan for diabetes

Definition

Country has an operational policy, strategy or action plan for diabetes. Method of estimation: official country response to WHO NCD Country Capacity Survey.

Source

WHO. Global Health Observatory Data Repository. www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Targets included in national (nutrition or other) plan

Definition

The number and type of global nutrition and diet-related NCD targets included in any national government-implemented policy, strategy or plan relevant to improving nutrition and promoting healthy diet. National policies do not have to be exclusively nutrition related and can include broader health policies. Legislation, codes, regulations, protocols and guidelines, as well as non-governmental policies, were not considered. Regional data is expressed as the total number of constituent countries with each target in their national policies.

Source

WHO GINA, 2nd Global Nutrition Policy Review

11 Share section

Economics and demography

Total population, thousands

Definition

Total population

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population. Accessed 31 August 2021.

Under 5 population, thousands

Definition

Total population of children aged 0-59 months

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population. Accessed 31 August 2021.

65 and over population, thousands

Definition

Total population aged 65 years or older

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population. Accessed 31 August 2021.

Rural population, %

Definition

Percentage of population living in rural areas

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population. Accessed 31 August 2021.

Population density of health workers (per 1,000 population)

Definition

Population density of health workers (per 1,000 population): medical doctors include generalist and specialist medical practitioners; nurses and midwives include professional nurses, professional midwives, auxiliary nurses, auxiliary midwives, enrolled nurses, enrolled midwives and other associated personnel such as dental nurses and primary care nurses; community health workers include various types of community health aides, many with country-specific occupational titles such as community health officers, community health-education workers, family health workers, lady health visitors and health extension package workers.

Data type

Population surveys and modelled estimates

Source

WHO. Global Health Workforce Statistics. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator. Accessed 31 August 2021.

GDP (PPP$)

Definition

Gross domestic product per person based on purchasing power parity, with data in constant 2017 international dollars. Regional data is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Source

International Monetary Fund. World Economic Outlook Databases. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2020/October. Accessed 2 September 2021.

Extreme poverty rates

Definition

Percentage of the population living on less than US$1.90 a day at 2011 international prices. Regional data is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Household surveys

Source

World Bank. PovcalNet: an online analysis tool for global poverty monitoring. http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/home.aspx. Accessed 31 August 2021.

Poverty rates

Definition

Percentage of the population living on less than US$3.20 a day at 2011 international prices. Regional data is based on the population-weighted means of all constituent countries with available data.

Data type

Household surveys

Source

World Bank. PovcalNet: an online analysis tool for global poverty monitoring. http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/home.aspx. Accessed 31 August 2021.

Income inequality

Definition

Country income inequality, based on the Gini index, which measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households in an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. The Gini index ranges from 0 (perfect equality) to 100 (perfect inequality).

Data type

Index, based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments

Source

World Bank. Gini index. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI. Accessed 24 August 2021.

Under-5 mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)

Definition

Probability of dying between birth and 5 years of age, expressed per 1,000 live births.

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

UNICEF. Global Databases: Under-five mortality. http://data.unicef.org/child-mortality/under-five. Accessed 31 August 2021.

12 Share section

Environmental impacts

Environmental footprint of food system components

Definition

Food-related environmental impacts expressed by environmental domain and food group. Environmental domains consist of ‘greenhouse gas emissions’, ‘land use’, ‘freshwater use’, ‘nitrogen application’ and ‘phosphorus application’. Data on food demand for each country from the FAO was paired with a comprehensive database of environmental footprints, differentiated by country, food group, and environmental impact. The footprints take into account all food production, including inputs such as fertilisers and feed, transport, and processing e.g. of oil seeds to oils and sugar crops to sugars.

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

New analysis based on estimates of food demand from FAO (FAO. Food Balance Sheets: A Handbook. Rome, Italy: FAO, 2001) and a database of country and food group-specific environmental footprints (Springmann et al. Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits. Nature 2018; 562: 519–25; Poore & Nemecek. Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science 2018; 360: 987–92).

Food system impact on planetary boundary value

Definition

Planetary boundary value expressed by component of the food system and food group. Components consist of ‘cropland’, ‘freshwater’, ‘greenhouse gases’, ‘nitrogen’ and ‘phosphorus’. Planetary boundaries define the threshold related to global environmental processes beyond which humanity should not go. Planetary boundaries align with the targets for sustainable food production as set out by the Sustainable Development Goals. If impacts exceed 100% of the planetary boundary, the dietary pattern can be considered unsustainable in light of global environmental targets, and disproportionate in the context of an equitable distribution of environmental resources and mitigation efforts.

Data type

Modelled estimates

Source

New analysis based on estimates of food demand from FAO (FAO. Food Balance Sheets: A Handbook. Rome, Italy: FAO, 2001) and a database of country and food group-specific environmental footprints (Springmann et al. Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits. Nature 2018; 562: 519–25; Poore & Nemecek. Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science 2018; 360: 987–92). The target values for sustainable food production are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals specified by and adapted from the EAT-Lancet Commission (Willett et al. The Lancet 2019; 393: 447–92; Springmann et al. The British Medical Journal 2020; 370: 2322).

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