Nearly 513,000 in T&T cannot afford a healthy meal – UN report

In Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), about 512,000 people, or roughly 36.8 per cent of the population, cannot afford a healthy diet.
Close to 200,000 citizens are undernourished.
Around 100,000 children under the age of five are stunted, and fewer than 100,000 babies are born with a low birthweight.
Fewer than 100,000 children below the age of five are overweight.
Approximately 300,000 individuals 18 years and under are obese.
Additionally, about 100,000 women aged 15 to 49 are affected by anaemia.
These statistics were highlighted in the 2025 “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World-Addressing High Food Price Inflation for Food Security and Nutrition” report, which explored the causes and impacts of food inflation, analysed its effects on different food groups and diet affordability to help countries end hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition.
The 234-page report, published in February 2026, was prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, UNICEF, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organisation.
T&T is just one of over 100 countries worldwide mentioned in the report, based on data gathered from 2017 to 2024 on food insecurity and food price inflation.
According to the report, data compiled over the last ten years showed an upward trend in the proportion of T&T’s population unable to afford a healthy diet.
In 2017, 31.5 per cent of the population (441,000) could not afford a nutrient-dense diet.
By 2019, that figure climbed to 32.8 per cent, representing 459,200 people unable to afford a well-balanced meal.
The most dramatic spike occurred during the height of the pandemic in 2021, when the proportion reached a staggering 38.6 per cent (540,400 people).
As the pandemic drew to a close in 2023, the number of people in T&T unable to afford a nutritious diet decreased to 37.9 per cent, or 530,600.
Heading into 2024, the figure dropped slightly to 36.8 per cent (515,200 people).
Statistics also showed that 200,000 people in T&T were undernourished between 2022 and 2024.
In 2024, fewer than 100,000 children under five years old were classified as stunted.
Approximately 100,000 children below the age of five were also identified as overweight in 2024.
Around 300,000 adults aged 18 and under were recorded as being obese in 2022, and 100,000 women in the age bracket 15 to 49 were anaemic by 2023.
Fewer than 100,000 babies were documented as having low birthweight in 2020.
From 2022 to 2024, the country had 400,000 people facing moderate or severe food insecurity.
In a different section of the report, it indicated that the prevalence of undernourishment in the total population was 11.2 per cent, or 156,800 people, between 2022 and 2024.
The prevalence of stunting in children under age five was 7.8 per cent in 2024.
Among children under five years old, about 15 per cent were said to be overweight in 2024.
About 28.1 per cent of the adult population under 18 years old were considered obese in 2022.
In 2020, the prevalence of low birthweight was 16.3 per cent.
World behind on ending hunger
The report said that as 2030 nears, the world is significantly behind on achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2, to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, with setbacks due to extreme weather events, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising food prices and geopolitical disruptions such as the war in Ukraine.
While there have been signs of recovery in recent years, persistent inflation has slowed this progress, continuing to undermine purchasing power and access to healthy diets.
In 2024, the cost of a healthy diet (CoHD) was highest in Latin America and the Caribbean at 5.16 (PPP, purchasing power parity dollars), with a 7.6 per cent increase between 2022 and 2023, followed by a 3.8 per cent increase between 2023 and 2024.
By 2024, the population in Latin America and the Caribbean unable to afford a healthy diet had reached 181.9 million.
Worldwide, an estimated 31.9 per cent of people (2.60 billion) were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2024, compared with 3.35 per cent (2.68 billion) in 2022.
A healthy diet is simply a mix of nutritious foods, including fresh fruits, a variety of vegetables and moderate amounts of meat.
Eating healthy is critical to preventing malnutrition, child stunting and wasting, micronutrient deficiencies and overweight or obesity.
Consuming balanced meals also reduces the risk of non-communicable diseases, diabetes and cancers.
The report stated that the cost of a healthy diet (CoHD) in T&T rose from 3.72 purchasing power parity (PPP dollars per day, per person) in 2017 to 5.56 (PPP dollars per day, per person) in 2024.
Food prices rose throughout 2023 and 2024, pushing up the average cost of a healthy diet globally to 4.46 (PPP) dollars per person per day, up from 4.30 PPP dollars in 2023 and 4.01 PPP dollars in 2022.