🥜 Diet low in nuts and seeds
Insufficient nut/seed intake (<20.5g/day) reduces protective unsaturated fatty acids and micronutrients.
Compared to Other Dietary Risks (2023)
How diet low in nuts and seeds compares against the other four GBD dietary risk factors in global attributable deaths.
Global Deaths Over Time (1990–2023)
Deaths by Region (2023)
Attributable deaths from diet low in nuts and seeds aggregated by world region.
Associated Diseases
Low nuts & seeds is linked to increased risk of the following conditions according to the GBD study:
Highest Death Rate by Country (2023)
Ranked by deaths per 100,000 population — a fairer comparison than absolute numbers. Countries under 100,000 population excluded.
| # | Country | Deaths | Per 100k |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukraine | 33,604 | 89.1 |
| 2 | Belarus | 6,655 | 73.0 |
| 3 | Moldova | 1,556 | 60.6 |
| 4 | Hungary | 4,830 | 49.9 |
| 5 | Russia | 70,338 | 48.4 |
| 6 | Lithuania | 1,257 | 44.0 |
| 7 | Armenia | 1,116 | 37.9 |
| 8 | Solomon Islands | 303 | 37.9 |
| 9 | Latvia | 712 | 37.8 |
| 10 | Romania | 7,122 | 37.3 |
| 11 | Bulgaria | 2,359 | 34.7 |
| 12 | Venezuela | 9,544 | 33.7 |
| 13 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,042 | 32.7 |
| 14 | Uzbekistan | 11,411 | 32.0 |
| 15 | Azerbaijan | 3,193 | 30.9 |
| 16 | Czechia | 3,221 | 29.8 |
| 17 | Poland | 10,720 | 27.7 |
| 18 | Slovakia | 1,510 | 27.4 |
| 19 | Croatia | 1,062 | 27.3 |
| 20 | North Korea | 6,990 | 27.0 |
Lowest Death Rate by Country (2023)
Ranked by deaths per 100,000 population. Countries under 100,000 population excluded.
| # | Country | Deaths | Per 100k |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burkina Faso | 26 | 0.1 |
| 2 | South Sudan | 27 | 0.2 |
| 3 | Niger | 48 | 0.2 |
| 4 | Equatorial Guinea | 3 | 0.2 |
| 5 | Cameroon | 58 | 0.2 |
| 6 | Gambia | 16 | 0.6 |
| 7 | Gabon | 16 | 0.6 |
| 8 | Nigeria | 1,614 | 0.7 |
| 9 | Central African Republic | 48 | 0.8 |
| 10 | Uganda | 451 | 0.9 |
| 11 | Senegal | 167 | 0.9 |
| 12 | Israel | 80 | 0.9 |
| 13 | Benin | 100 | 1.0 |
| 14 | Tanzania | 862 | 1.3 |
| 15 | Sao Tome and Principe | 3 | 1.3 |
| 16 | Zambia | 285 | 1.4 |
| 17 | Qatar | 44 | 1.5 |
| 18 | Guinea-Bissau | 33 | 1.5 |
| 19 | Mali | 248 | 1.6 |
| 20 | Somalia | 315 | 1.7 |
Nuts & Seeds to Eat More Of
Increasing nut and seed intake above 20.5g/day is associated with lower risk of ischemic heart disease and diabetes. Explore these options:
Other Dietary Risk Factors
🔗 Related from the Mortality Explorer
This dietary risk factor is also tracked in our sister project, the Human Mortality Explorer, which examines all-cause mortality across 204 countries.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people die from diet low in nuts and seeds each year?
According to the Global Burden of Disease 2023 study, diet low in nuts and seeds was responsible for approximately 884,154 deaths globally in 2023, making it the #5 dietary risk factor worldwide.
Which countries have the highest death rate from diet low in nuts and seeds?
The countries with the highest per-capita death rate attributed to diet low in nuts and seeds are Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova. Per-capita rates provide a fairer comparison than absolute numbers, which are dominated by population size.
What diseases are linked to diet low in nuts and seeds?
The GBD study links diet low in nuts and seeds to increased risk of: Ischemic heart disease, Diabetes mellitus type 2. These associations are based on meta-analyses of epidemiological studies.
What is considered a safe level for this dietary risk?
Insufficient nut/seed intake (<20.5g/day) reduces protective unsaturated fatty acids and micronutrients.