11M
Deaths linked to poor diet each year
Unhealthy diets were linked to about 11 million adult deaths worldwide in 2017 — more than any other risk factor, including tobacco.
Source: GBD, The Lancet 2019
96 facts
World health food facts
The key numbers on food and health worldwide, from WHO, FAO, UNICEF and trusted research — every fact with its source.
Diet & disease
1 in 5
Deaths tied to diet
Roughly one in every five deaths globally is associated with dietary risks.
Source: GBD, The Lancet 2019
17.9M
Heart disease deaths per year
Cardiovascular diseases are the world's leading cause of death; an unhealthy diet is a key risk factor.
Source: WHO 2021
830M
People living with diabetes
Adults with diabetes rose from about 200 million in 1990 to around 830 million in 2022.
Source: WHO / NCD-RisC, The Lancet 2024
1.28B
Adults with high blood pressure
About 1.28 billion adults aged 30–79 have hypertension; high salt intake is a major cause.
Source: WHO 2023
74%
Share of deaths from NCDs
Noncommunicable diseases (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, lung disease) cause 74% of all deaths.
Source: WHO 2023
18%
Higher colorectal cancer risk
Each 50 g of processed meat eaten daily raises colorectal cancer risk by about 18%.
Source: WHO / IARC 2015
1/3
Cancers that are preventable
Around a third of cancer deaths are linked to tobacco, high BMI, alcohol, low fruit and vegetable intake and inactivity.
Source: WHO 2022
Obesity & weight
1B+
People living with obesity
In 2022 more than 1 billion people worldwide were living with obesity.
Source: WHO / The Lancet 2024
2.5B
Adults overweight
43% of adults aged 18+ were overweight in 2022, and 890 million of them had obesity.
Source: WHO 2024
×2
Adult obesity has doubled
Worldwide adult obesity more than doubled between 1990 and 2022.
Source: WHO 2024
×4
Adolescent obesity has quadrupled
Obesity among adolescents aged 5–19 quadrupled from 1990 to 2022.
Source: WHO 2024
37M
Children under 5 overweight
About 37 million children under five were overweight in 2022.
Source: WHO 2024
~60%
Adults overweight in Jordan
Around six in ten Jordanian adults are overweight or obese, among the higher rates in the region.
Source: WHO EMRO / STEPS Jordan 2019
5–10%
Weight loss that improves health
Losing just 5–10% of body weight can lower blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.
Source: CDC / NIH
Hunger & undernutrition
~733M
People facing hunger
Around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023 — about one in eleven people on Earth.
Source: FAO SOFI 2024
2.8B
Can't afford a healthy diet
About 2.8 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2022.
Source: FAO SOFI 2024
148M
Children under 5 stunted
148 million young children are too short for their age due to chronic undernutrition.
Source: UNICEF/WHO/World Bank 2023
45M
Children under 5 wasted
45 million young children are dangerously thin for their height.
Source: UNICEF/WHO/World Bank 2023
45%
Child deaths linked to undernutrition
About 45% of deaths among children under five are linked to undernutrition.
Source: WHO 2024
Double
The double burden
Many countries now face undernutrition and obesity at the same time, often in the same household.
Source: WHO 2024
Sugar, salt & fats
<10%
WHO limit for free sugars
Keep free sugars below 10% of daily energy — about 50 g (12 teaspoons) — and ideally below 5%.
Source: WHO 2015
10 tsp
Sugar in one can of soda
A 330 ml can of regular soft drink holds about 35 g of sugar — nearly a full day's limit.
Source: Nutrition labels / WHO
<5 g
WHO daily salt limit
Adults should eat under 5 g of salt (one teaspoon) a day.
Source: WHO 2023
10.8 g
Average salt eaten worldwide
The global average is about 10.8 g a day — more than double the recommended limit.
Source: WHO 2023
1.9M
Deaths from too much salt
An estimated 1.9 million deaths each year are linked to high sodium intake.
Source: WHO 2023
<10%
Saturated fat limit
Keep saturated fats (butter, fatty meat, ghee) under 10% of daily energy.
Source: WHO 2023
278K
Deaths from trans fats
Industrial trans fats cause about 278,000 heart disease deaths each year; WHO calls for their elimination.
Source: WHO 2023
~75%
Salt hidden in processed food
In many countries most salt comes from bread, cheese, processed meat and ready meals — not the salt shaker.
Source: WHO 2023
Fruits, vegetables & grains
400 g
Fruit & veg per day
WHO recommends at least 400 g (five portions) of fruit and vegetables daily.
Source: WHO 2020
3.9M
Deaths from too little fruit & veg
Low fruit and vegetable intake was linked to about 3.9 million deaths in 2017.
Source: WHO
#1
Low whole grains: top diet risk
Too few whole grains was the leading dietary risk for death worldwide, ahead of sugar.
Source: GBD, The Lancet 2019
25 g+
Fibre adults need daily
Adults should get at least 25 g of natural fibre a day from vegetables, fruit, legumes and whole grains.
Source: WHO 2023
15–30%
Lower risk with high fibre
People eating the most fibre have 15–30% lower rates of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer.
Source: The Lancet 2019
~30 g
A handful of nuts
A daily handful of nuts is linked with lower heart disease risk.
Source: BMC Medicine 2016
15 g
Fibre in a cup of cooked lentils
Legumes like lentils, chickpeas and beans are cheap sources of protein, fibre and iron — staples of Jordanian food.
Source: USDA FoodData
1 in 3
Adults eating enough fruit & veg
Fewer than a third of people in most countries eat the recommended 5 portions a day.
Source: WHO surveys
Water & hydration
~60%
Of your body is water
Water makes up around 60% of adult body weight and is needed for every cell.
Source: USGS / physiology texts
2–2.5 L
Daily water needs
Women need about 2 L and men about 2.5 L of total water daily from drinks and food — more in hot weather.
Source: EFSA 2010
2%
Dehydration that hurts focus
Losing just 1–2% of body water can reduce concentration, mood and exercise performance.
Source: Nutrition Reviews 2010
2.2B
People without safe drinking water
About 2.2 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water.
Source: WHO/UNICEF 2023
0
Calories in water
Swapping one sugary drink a day for water cuts about 140 kcal and 35 g of sugar.
Source: Nutrition labels
Vitamins & minerals
~2B
People lacking key micronutrients
Around 2 billion people lack essential vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, iodine and vitamin A.
Source: WHO
30%
Women 15–49 with anaemia
Nearly a third of women of reproductive age are anaemic, often due to iron deficiency.
Source: WHO 2023
40%
Young children with anaemia
About 40% of children aged 6–59 months worldwide have anaemia.
Source: WHO 2023
~1B
People low in vitamin D
Around a billion people are vitamin D deficient — common in the Middle East despite the sun, due to covered skin and indoor life.
Source: Nutrients reviews
#1
Iodine & preventable brain damage
Iodine deficiency is the world's leading preventable cause of brain damage; iodised salt prevents it.
Source: WHO / UNICEF
250K–500K
Children blinded by vitamin A deficiency
Each year up to half a million children go blind from lack of vitamin A.
Source: WHO
×3
Vitamin C boosts iron absorption
Eating vitamin C foods (lemon, tomato, peppers) with lentils or spinach can multiply iron absorption.
Source: Am J Clin Nutr
Children & mothers
6 months
Exclusive breastfeeding
WHO recommends only breast milk for the first 6 months, then continued breastfeeding up to 2 years or beyond.
Source: WHO 2023
48%
Babies exclusively breastfed
Only about 48% of infants under 6 months are exclusively breastfed.
Source: UNICEF 2023
820K
Child lives breastfeeding could save
Optimal breastfeeding could save over 820,000 children's lives every year.
Source: The Lancet 2016
1,000 days
The most important window
Nutrition from pregnancy to a child's second birthday shapes lifelong health and brain development.
Source: UNICEF
0 g
Added sugar under age 2
Health bodies advise no added sugar for children under two.
Source: AHA / WHO
1 in 3
Children not growing well
One in three children under five is not growing well due to malnutrition in its various forms.
Source: UNICEF 2019
400 µg
Folic acid before pregnancy
Daily folic acid before and in early pregnancy greatly reduces neural tube birth defects.
Source: WHO
Physical activity
150–300
Minutes of activity per week
Adults need 150–300 minutes of moderate activity weekly, plus muscle strengthening twice a week.
Source: WHO 2020
31%
Adults not active enough
Nearly 1.8 billion adults (31%) did not meet activity recommendations in 2022.
Source: WHO / Lancet Global Health 2024
81%
Teens not active enough
Over 80% of adolescents don't get 60 minutes of activity a day.
Source: WHO 2022
20–30%
Higher death risk when inactive
Insufficiently active people have a 20–30% higher risk of death than active people.
Source: WHO 2022
~5M
Deaths activity could prevent
Up to 5 million deaths a year could be averted if people were more active.
Source: WHO 2020
7,000
Daily steps linked to benefits
About 7,000–8,000 steps a day is linked with substantially lower risk of early death.
Source: The Lancet Public Health 2022
Every move
Any activity counts
WHO says every move counts: replacing sitting with any activity, even light, benefits health.
Source: WHO 2020
Food & the planet
1.05B t
Food wasted each year
About 1.05 billion tonnes of food — 19% of what's available to consumers — was wasted in 2022.
Source: UNEP Food Waste Index 2024
60%
Food waste happens at home
Households are responsible for around 60% of all food waste.
Source: UNEP 2024
79 kg
Food each person wastes at home
The average person wastes about 79 kg of food at home every year.
Source: UNEP 2024
~1/3
Emissions from food systems
Food systems produce about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: Nature Food 2021
8–10%
Emissions from wasted food
Wasted food alone accounts for 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: UNEP 2021
70%
Freshwater used by farming
Agriculture uses about 70% of the world's freshwater withdrawals — vital in water-scarce Jordan.
Source: FAO AQUASTAT
Planetary
A diet good for people and planet
A diet rich in plants, legumes, nuts and whole grains with less red meat could prevent ~11 million deaths a year.
Source: EAT-Lancet 2019
Myth vs fact
Myth
"Brown sugar and honey are healthy"
Fact: they are still free sugars and count toward the WHO daily limit.
Source: WHO 2015
Myth
"Carbs make you fat"
Fact: excess calories cause weight gain. Whole-grain carbs and legumes protect health.
Source: WHO / Harvard T.H. Chan
Myth
"All fat is bad"
Fact: unsaturated fats from olive oil, nuts and fish are good for the heart.
Source: WHO 2023
Myth
"Skipping breakfast burns fat"
Fact: total daily intake and food quality matter most; a fibre- and protein-rich breakfast helps many people control appetite.
Source: BMJ 2019
Myth
"Detox juices clean your body"
Fact: your liver and kidneys detox you. Juices remove fibre and add sugar.
Source: NHS
Myth
"Frozen vegetables aren't nutritious"
Fact: frozen produce keeps most of its vitamins and is often as nutritious as fresh.
Source: J Food Comp Anal 2017
Myth
"Sea salt is healthier than table salt"
Fact: both are mostly sodium. Use less of any salt; choose iodised.
Source: WHO
Myth
"Eating late at night makes you gain weight"
Fact: total calories and food choices matter more than the clock.
Source: Am J Clin Nutr
Gut health
~38T
Bacteria in your body
The human body hosts about 38 trillion bacteria — roughly as many as human cells — most of them in the colon.
Source: Sender et al., PLoS Biol 2016
30
Plants a week
People eating 30+ different plant foods a week had more diverse gut microbes than those eating 10 or fewer.
Source: American Gut Project, mSystems 2018
~90%
Serotonin made in the gut
Around 90% of the body's serotonin is produced in the digestive tract.
Source: Yano et al., Cell 2015
~5%
Adults who reach fibre targets
Only about 5% of US adults eat the recommended amount of fibre.
Source: Quagliani & Felt-Gunderson, Am J Lifestyle Med 2017
Sleep & energy
7–9 h
Sleep adults need
Adults need 7–9 hours of sleep a night for good health.
Source: AASM / Sleep Research Society 2015
1 in 3
Adults short on sleep
About a third of adults regularly sleep less than 7 hours.
Source: CDC
400 mg
Daily caffeine limit
Up to 400 mg of caffeine a day (about 4 cups of coffee) is considered safe for most adults; 200 mg in pregnancy.
Source: EFSA 2015
+55%
Higher obesity risk in short sleepers
Short sleep was linked to a 55% higher risk of obesity in adults and 89% in children.
Source: Cappuccio et al., Sleep 2008
Mental health
1 in 8
People with a mental disorder
About 970 million people — 1 in 8 worldwide — live with a mental disorder.
Source: WHO 2022
280M
People with depression
Depression affects around 280 million people globally.
Source: WHO 2023
32%
Remission with diet support
In the SMILES trial, 32% of people with depression on a healthier diet reached remission vs 8% in the control group.
Source: Jacka et al., BMC Med 2017
Supplements
~50%
Adults using supplements
About half of US adults used a dietary supplement in the past 30 days.
Source: CDC NHANES 2017–2018
1B+
People low in vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency is estimated to affect around 1 billion people worldwide.
Source: Holick, NEJM 2007
70%
Fewer neural-tube defects
Folic acid before and in early pregnancy can prevent up to 70% of neural-tube defects.
Source: WHO / CDC
Longevity
+12 yrs
Extra life from 5 habits
Women with five healthy habits lived ~14 years longer and men ~12 years longer from age 50.
Source: Li et al., Circulation 2018
~73
Global life expectancy
World life expectancy at birth is about 73 years.
Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024
50%
Social ties and survival
Strong social relationships were linked to a 50% higher chance of survival over time.
Source: Holt-Lunstad et al., PLoS Med 2010
7,000
Daily steps for a longer life
Walking about 7,000 steps a day was linked to a much lower risk of early death than 2,000 steps.
Source: Ding et al., Lancet Public Health 2025
Figures are estimates from the latest published reports and may change as new data is released. General information, not medical advice.