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NutriBharat@20247

04 Apr 2026

Poor nutrition costs the world approximately US$3 trillion annually, about US$1 trillion from undernutrition/micronutrient deficits and US$2 trillion from overweight/obesity, making nutrition central to human capital and economic growth.1 Thus, nutrition can be seen as a defining driver of human capital and economic prosperity. With persistent micronutrient gaps across all populations, a future-ready nutrition strategy is essential for building resilient, healthy and competitive societies.

As global nutrition challenges intensify, the situation is dire in many lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) across Africa and Asia. India, the most populous LMIC, is no exception. With the highest proportion of stunted children (24.6%) under five and more than 57% of women affected by anemia, the country faces high burden due to persistent undernutrition alongside rising obesity and non-communicable diseases, compounded further by widespread hidden hunger arising from critical micronutrient gaps. Taken together, these data sets present a nuanced and urgent picture — one where dietary patterns may be evolving, yet essential nutrient deficits continue to persist. This underscores the imperative for India to adopt nutrition strategies that elevate both the quality and the nutrient density of foods consumed, so that progress in food access is matched by progress in genuine nutritional security. Strengthening nutrition is therefore central to India’s human capital formation
and its ambitions for 2047.

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