Statsguru: Reduced calorie intake in India's food patterns over the decade

Rural areas experienced a greater decline in calorie consumption than urban parts over a decade

Over the past decade, India has seen a major change in the pattern of food intake, with both rural and urban populations consuming fewer calories daily in 2023-24 (August-July) than in 2011-12 (July-June). Notably, rural areas experienced a sharper decline of 13.4 per cent (from 2,752 to 2,383 kilocalories per person per day) compared to urban areas’ 8.4 per cent drop (from 2,700 to 2,472 kilocalories). As such, the calorie intake difference between villages and cities narrowed over the period. The rich saw the highest calorie reduction in both rural and urban areas. Former chief statistician Pronab Sen explains that