Key Takeaways
- Economist Impact’s inaugural Resilient Food Systems Index (RFSI) ranks 60 countries on a 100-point scale across four pillars: affordability, availability, quality and safety, and climate risk responsiveness.
- Portugal leads the index as the most resilient nation, while the Democratic Republic of Congo ranks last, representing a 42-point gap.
- Climate risk responsiveness is the lowest-scoring pillar globally, with an average score of 56.4.
- While food affordability scored highest overall (71.8), nearly two-thirds of the poorest households' income is absorbed by the cheapest healthy diet in 62% of countries.
- The 15 largest exporters maintain an average resilience score of 71, highlighting their outsized role in stabilizing global markets.
Assessing Global Food Security via the Economist Impact's RFSI
Economist Impact has released the Resilient Food Systems Index (RFSI), a benchmarking model consisting of 71 qualitative and quantitative indicators. The index provides a roadmap for feeding a projected global population of ten billion people by 2050 by identifying current system vulnerabilities.
Findings indicate that while no country is fully resilient, nearly half of the nations surveyed fall into a “middle zone,” with scores ranging from 56 to 71. This suggests significant potential to strengthen global systems against future shocks.
Analyzing the Four Pillars of Resilience
The Economist Impact research highlights critical gaps that persist despite high scores in certain areas.
