Number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet in United States
United States: Number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet was 15.50 million people in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
15.50 million people
Change on year
down 4.9%
World rank
28th
of 150 countries
All-time high
16.60 million people
in 2017
All-time low
8.50 million people
in 2021
Years of data
8
2017–2024
Number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet in United States, 2017–2024
Source: FAO and World Bank (2025), using data and methods from Bai et al. (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
United States recorded 15.50 million people for number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet in 2024.
That represents a change of down 4.9% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
That places United States 28th out of 150 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
Number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet in United States, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 16.60 million people | — |
| 2018 | 15.90 million people | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 14.40 million people | -9.4% |
| 2020 | 11.00 million people | -23.6% |
| 2021 | 8.50 million people | -22.7% |
| 2022 | 16.20 million people | +90.6% |
| 2023 | 16.30 million people | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 15.50 million people | -4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.63 million people | 14.40 million people | 16.60 million people | 3 |
| 2020s | 13.50 million people | 8.50 million people | 16.30 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More health data for United States
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1867 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,069 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,015 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -0.7786 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.0833 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -0.7908 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.0877 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet in United States?
- Number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet in United States was 15.50 million people in 2024, according to FAO and World Bank (2025), using data and methods from Bai et al. (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 16.60 million people in 2017.
- What is the lowest number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.50 million people in 2021.
- How does United States rank for number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet?
- United States ranks 28th out of 150 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from FAO and World Bank (2025), using data and methods from Bai et al. (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Total number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet in a given country and year.