🌾 Diet low in whole grains
Insufficient whole grain intake (<125g/day) increases risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and colorectal cancer.
Compared to Other Dietary Risks (2023)
How diet low in whole grains 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 whole grains aggregated by world region.
Associated Diseases
Low whole grains 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 | Fiji | 553 | 59.8 |
| 2 | Solomon Islands | 459 | 57.4 |
| 3 | Hungary | 5,529 | 57.1 |
| 4 | Moldova | 1,340 | 52.2 |
| 5 | Micronesia (country) | 58 | 51.5 |
| 6 | Belarus | 4,572 | 50.2 |
| 7 | Ukraine | 18,476 | 49.0 |
| 8 | Croatia | 1,852 | 47.5 |
| 9 | Guam | 77 | 44.5 |
| 10 | Slovakia | 2,437 | 44.2 |
| 11 | Mauritius | 553 | 43.4 |
| 12 | Lithuania | 1,204 | 42.2 |
| 13 | Russia | 60,158 | 41.4 |
| 14 | Tonga | 41 | 39.2 |
| 15 | Vanuatu | 125 | 39.0 |
| 16 | Czechia | 4,112 | 38.0 |
| 17 | Bulgaria | 2,542 | 37.4 |
| 18 | Latvia | 703 | 37.3 |
| 19 | Montenegro | 231 | 36.5 |
| 20 | Serbia | 2,460 | 36.3 |
Lowest Death Rate by Country (2023)
Ranked by deaths per 100,000 population. Countries under 100,000 population excluded.
| # | Country | Deaths | Per 100k |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niger | 61 | 0.2 |
| 2 | Malawi | 46 | 0.2 |
| 3 | Burkina Faso | 42 | 0.2 |
| 4 | Lesotho | 8 | 0.3 |
| 5 | Ethiopia | 328 | 0.3 |
| 6 | Zambia | 97 | 0.5 |
| 7 | Mali | 70 | 0.5 |
| 8 | Chad | 81 | 0.6 |
| 9 | Kenya | 405 | 0.7 |
| 10 | Zimbabwe | 155 | 0.9 |
| 11 | Mozambique | 338 | 1.0 |
| 12 | Botswana | 26 | 1.0 |
| 13 | Tanzania | 718 | 1.1 |
| 14 | Guatemala | 203 | 1.1 |
| 15 | Togo | 91 | 1.3 |
| 16 | Eswatini | 17 | 1.4 |
| 17 | Mexico | 1,836 | 1.4 |
| 18 | Uganda | 738 | 1.5 |
| 19 | Namibia | 45 | 1.5 |
| 20 | South Africa | 985 | 1.6 |
Whole Grains to Eat More Of
Increasing whole grain intake above 125g/day reduces risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and colorectal cancer. Explore these whole grain 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 whole grains each year?
According to the Global Burden of Disease 2023 study, diet low in whole grains was responsible for approximately 1,188,735 deaths globally in 2023, making it the #3 dietary risk factor worldwide.
Which countries have the highest death rate from diet low in whole grains?
The countries with the highest per-capita death rate attributed to diet low in whole grains are Fiji, Solomon Islands, Hungary. Per-capita rates provide a fairer comparison than absolute numbers, which are dominated by population size.
What diseases are linked to diet low in whole grains?
The GBD study links diet low in whole grains to increased risk of: Ischemic heart disease, Stroke, Diabetes mellitus type 2, Colon and rectum cancer. These associations are based on meta-analyses of epidemiological studies.
What is considered a safe level for this dietary risk?
Insufficient whole grain intake (<125g/day) increases risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and colorectal cancer.