Countries Where Most People Can Afford a Healthy Diet
What if choosing between rent money and fresh vegetables wasn't a daily reality for families?
In Iceland, only 0.4% of the population faces this choice. In Belgium, it's 0.7%. These aren't just wealthy nations flexing—they're proof that universal access to healthy food is achievable.
These countries paint a picture of what food security looks like when systems work:
The leaders:
- Iceland: 0.4% cannot afford healthy diets
- Azerbaijan: 0.7%
- Belgium: 0.7%
- Finland: 0.8%
- Denmark: 0.9%
Even major economies deliver:
- United States: 2.5%
- United Kingdom: 2.5%
- Canada: 2.7%
- Germany: 2.2%
Notice the pattern? Most are high-income countries, but not exclusively. Azerbaijan (upper-middle-income) and Lebanon (lower-middle-income) prove that smart policies also matter.
Nations like these share some common strategies: robust social safety nets, efficient food distribution systems, agricultural subsidies that keep nutritious food affordable, and economies that support living wages.
Why this matters beyond their borders:
When people can afford healthy food, healthcare costs drop dramatically. Children perform better in school. Workers are more productive. Entire economies benefit from healthier populations.
The ripple effect reaches global markets too—countries with food-secure populations create stable trading partners and reduce migration pressures caused by hunger.
What these success stories teach us:
✓ Invest in local food systems: Support farmers and reduce supply chain costs
✓ Design smart subsidies: Make nutritious foods cheaper, not just any food
✓ Build social safety nets: Food assistance programs that work
✓ Focus on wages: People need income that covers basic nutrition
✓ Plan urban food access: Ensure healthy food reaches all neighbourhoods
Your support for organisations working on global food security helps replicate these models worldwide. Every successful food security program started with someone believing that access to healthy food shouldn't depend on your postal code.
The path from food insecurity to food security has been walked before—and it can be walked again.