This study quantified global, regional, and national dietary patterns among children and adults, by age group, sex, education, and urbanicity, across 185 countries between 1990 and 2018, using data from the Global Dietary Database project. Dietary quality was generally modest worldwide, with the mean global Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) score in 2018 being 40.3 (out of 100). Scores varied significantly by region, age, sex, and education level. While global diet quality showed modest improvement between 1990 and 2018, this trend was not consistent across all regions. The study highlights substantial variations in dietary quality and underscores the need for targeted national and subnational policies to enhance nutrition security and equity.

Victoria Miller, Patrick Webb, Frederick Cudhea, Peilin Shi, Jianyi Zhang, Julia Reedy, Josh Erndt-Marino, Jennifer Coates, Dariush Mozaffarian