39% of Bangladeshis cannot afford healthy food: UN report

Nearly two in five people in Bangladesh cannot afford a healthy diet. Meanwhile, the country's food security is facing new risks due to rising urea fertiliser prices driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, according to the United Nations.

A joint report by five UN agencies—the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO)—states that in 2025, approximately 6.78 crore people, or about 39 percent of the population, could not afford a healthy diet .

Separately, the World Food Programme (WFP) has reported that tensions in the Middle East surrounding the Strait of Hormuz have driven up global urea fertiliser prices by nearly 50 percent. At the same time, three of the country's five state-owned urea fertiliser factories remain closed due to a gas crisis, raising concerns over agricultural production.

The WFP fears that as many as 1.81 crore people in Bangladesh could fall into severe food insecurity as a result.

Analysts warn that if fertiliser prices rise further due to the global supply crisis, agricultural production costs will increase. This will impact the food market, and the risk of healthy food becoming even more unaffordable for ordinary people will grow. In their view, this food security crisis is now not just an agricultural issue but a major challenge for the country's overall economy.