The Nutrition Transition
How the world changed its diet over 60 years. Scroll to explore the biggest shifts in what humanity eats, powered by FAO Food Balance Sheet data from 1961 to 2023.
What Is the Nutrition Transition?
The nutrition transition is a well-documented shift in dietary patterns that occurs as countries develop economically. First described by Barry Popkin in the 1990s, the model identifies a predictable sequence: as incomes rise and urbanisation accelerates, populations move away from traditional diets heavy in cereals, roots, and tubers toward diets rich in refined sugars, vegetable oils, and animal-source foods. This shift brings both benefits — reduced hunger, improved protein intake — and new risks, particularly the rise of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
The data powering this visualisation comes from FAO Food Balance Sheets, which have tracked national food supply for every UN member state since 1961. The stacked area chart below shows how the composition of the global food supply has shifted across ten major food groups over more than six decades. You can switch between the world aggregate and individual countries using the dropdown to see how the transition plays out at different speeds and in different directions depending on each country's unique economic trajectory.
Several patterns emerge immediately. Vegetable oil supply has increased faster than any other food group globally, more than tripling since 1961. Sugar supply rose sharply through the 1990s before plateauing. Meat and dairy supply grew steadily in middle-income countries while remaining largely flat in the poorest nations. And cereal supply — once the dominant calorie source everywhere — has declined as a share of total intake even as absolute quantities remained stable. Scroll through the narrative below to explore each of these shifts in detail, with contextual statistics and the forces that drove them.
The World Got Richer — And Ate More
In 1961, the average person on Earth had access to about 2,196 calories per day. By 2023, that number had climbed to 3,016. This wasn't just population growth — it was more food per person, driven by the Green Revolution, mechanised agriculture, global trade and rising incomes. The stacked chart shows every food group growing, but some grew far more than others. The story of the nutrition transition is the story of which calories replaced which.
The Meat Revolution
Global meat supply nearly doubled from 115 to 223 kcal per person per day. As incomes rose, so did demand for animal protein — first in Europe and North America, then in East Asia and Latin America. China alone went from 30 to over 300 kcal of meat per person. This shift required enormous expansion of feed crops, pastureland and industrial livestock systems, reshaping agriculture worldwide.
The Oil Flood
This is the single biggest dietary shift of the last 60 years and most people have never heard of it. Vegetable oil supply tripled from 113 to 321 kcal per person per day. Palm oil, soybean oil and rapeseed oil transformed food systems: cheap, shelf-stable and energy-dense. They entered every processed food, every restaurant fryer and every household kitchen. No other food group has grown faster.
The Sugar Surge
Sugar and sweetener supply rose from 195 to 238 kcal per person per day globally. While the percentage increase looks modest compared to oils or meat, the absolute amount is staggering — sugar is already one of the top calorie sources in most diets. In some countries, sugar alone provides over 15% of daily calories. Sweetened beverages, confectionery and processed foods drove much of this growth.
The Disappearing Pulses
While nearly every food group grew, one shrank. Legume consumption declined from 89 to 68 kcal per person per day, displaced by cheap oils, refined grains and animal protein. This is one of the nutrition transition's great ironies: pulses are among the most nutrient-dense, sustainable and affordable foods on Earth, yet economic development pushed them off the plate in country after country.
Cereals Lost Their Throne
For most of human history, cereals were the undisputed king of calories. They still are — but their share has been falling. In 1961, cereals provided 49.5% of all calories. By 2023, that share had dropped to 42.4%, even though absolute cereal calories grew. The share was taken by oils, meat and dairy — a shift from carbohydrate-based to fat-and-protein-based diets that tracks perfectly with income growth.
The Great Convergence
Perhaps the most striking pattern is convergence. In 1961, diets looked radically different across countries — a Nigerian diet had almost nothing in common with an American diet. Today, the gap has narrowed dramatically. Use the country selector to compare: you will see the same patterns everywhere. More oil, more meat, more sugar, fewer pulses. Globalised trade, supermarkets and processed food created a single worldwide dietary trajectory.
What Happens Next?
The nutrition transition is far from over. Low-income countries are still mid-transition, and the double burden of malnutrition — undernutrition and obesity coexisting in the same populations — is growing. Ultra-processed foods are the new frontier, accelerating dietary change faster than any previous shift. Understanding where we have been is the first step to deciding where we go next.
30 Countries' Diets at a Glance
How do diets compare across the world's most populous and diverse nations? Each bar shows the food supply composition — from cereals and meat to oils and sugar. Hover over any segment for details.
Food supply (not consumption) in kilocalories per person per day. Actual dietary intake is typically 20–30% lower. Source: FAO Food Balance Sheets, 2023
About the Data
All data comes from the FAO Food Balance Sheets, which estimate the per capita food supply (not consumption) for over 180 countries from 1961 onward. Values are in kilocalories per person per day and represent food available at the retail level after accounting for production, imports, exports, stock changes, feed, seed, waste and other non-food uses. Actual dietary intake is typically 20–30% lower due to household-level waste and plate waste. The 20 FAO food groups have been condensed into 8 display categories for visual clarity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the nutrition transition?
The nutrition transition describes the broad shift in dietary patterns that occurs as countries develop economically. First described by Barry Popkin in 1993, it tracks how populations move from traditional diets high in cereals, legumes and local produce toward diets higher in processed foods, vegetable oils, sugar and animal products. This shift is driven by urbanisation, rising incomes, globalised food trade and changing food technology. Nearly every country on Earth is now somewhere along this transition.
How has the global diet changed since 1961?
Between 1961 and 2023, the global food supply rose from 2,196 to 3,016 calories per person per day — a 37% increase. The biggest shifts: vegetable oil supply tripled (113 to 321 kcal/day), meat supply nearly doubled (115 to 223 kcal/day), and sugar and sweetener supply rose 22% (195 to 238 kcal/day). Meanwhile, pulses declined 24% (89 to 68 kcal/day), and cereals fell from 49.5% to 42.4% of total calories despite growing in absolute terms.
Which food groups have grown the most?
Vegetable oils have seen the largest relative increase of any food group, tripling from 113 to 321 kcal per person per day between 1961 and 2023. This makes oils the single biggest dietary shift in human history by percentage growth. Meat is second, nearly doubling from 115 to 223 kcal/day. Other notable increases include tree nuts, eggs and fish. The only major food group to decline in absolute terms is pulses (legumes), which fell from 89 to 68 kcal/day.
Explore More Global Data
See also: Global Diet Atlas · Correlation Explorer · Cost of Nutrition · All Country Comparisons