Daily cost of a healthy diet in India
India: Daily cost of a healthy diet was 4.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
4.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day
Change on year
up 5.4%
World rank
115th
of 174 countries
All-time high
4.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day
in 2024
All-time low
2.77 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day
in 2017
Years of data
8
2017–2024
Daily cost of a healthy diet in India, 2017–2024
Source: FAO and World Bank (2025), using data and methods from Herforth et al. (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day.
Analysis
The most recent figure for daily cost of a healthy diet in India is 4.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.4% on the previous year and up 46.9% over ten years.
India ranks 115th of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Daily cost of a healthy diet in India, year by year
| Year | international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2.77 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | — |
| 2018 | 2.86 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 3.01 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 3.23 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | +7.3% |
| 2021 | 3.4 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 3.67 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | +7.9% |
| 2023 | 3.86 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 4.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | +5.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 4.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.49 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day, 91% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- India's 4.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day is below the median for South Asia, which is 4.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day, 93% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 2.88 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | 2.77 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | 3.01 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | 3 |
| 2020s | 3.65 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | 3.23 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | 4.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
- 113 Iraq 4.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day compare
- 114 Guinea-Bissau 4.09 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day compare
- 116 Turks and Caicos Islands 4.05 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day compare
- 117 Lithuania 4.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day compare
- 118 Germany 4 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day compare
More health data for India
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4372 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,332 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 44,822 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3809 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0372 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5922 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is daily cost of a healthy diet in India?
- Daily cost of a healthy diet in India was 4.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day in 2024, according to FAO and World Bank (2025), using data and methods from Herforth et al. (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest daily cost of a healthy diet recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 4.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day in 2024.
- What is the lowest daily cost of a healthy diet recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.77 international-$ in 2021 prices per person per day in 2017.
- How does India rank for daily cost of a healthy diet?
- India ranks 115th out of 174 countries with data for 2024.
- Is daily cost of a healthy diet rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from FAO and World Bank (2025), using data and methods from Herforth et al. (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Daily cost of a healthy diet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Cost of purchasing the least expensive locally available foods to meet requirements for energy and food-based dietary guidelines, for a representative person within energy balance at 2,330 kcal/day. This data is adjusted for inflation and for differences in the cost of living between countries.