The largest number of diet-related deaths, an estimated 1.89 million each year, is associated with excessive intake of sodium, a well-established cause of raised blood pressure and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The global average sodium intake is estimated to be 4310 mg/day (10.78 g of salt per day), which far exceeds the physiological requirement and is more than double the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of <2000 mg of sodium (equivalent to <5 g of salt) per day in adults.
Reducing sodium intake is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve health and reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases, as it can avert a large number of cardiovascular events and deaths at very low total programme costs. WHO recommends several sodium-related best buys policies as practical actions that should be undertaken immediately, to prevent cardiovascular disease and its associated costs. These include lowering sodium content in food products; implementing front-of-pack labelling to help consumers select food products with lower sodium content; conducting mass media campaigns to alter consumer behaviour around sodium; and implementing public food procurement and service policies to reduce sodium content in food served or sold.
The Sodium Country Score Card monitors a country’s progress in making national commitments and taking a multifaceted approach to implementing policies to reduce sodium intake.
The Score Card depicts countries that
- have made a national policy commitment towards sodium reduction (Score 1)
- have implemented voluntary measures to reduce sodium in the food supply or encourage consumers to make healthier food choices (Score 2)
- have implemented mandatory declaration of sodium on pre-packaged food and implement at least one mandatory measure for sodium reduction (Score 3)
- have implemented mandatory declaration of sodium on pre-packaged food and implement multiple mandatory measures for sodium reduction as well as all the sodium-related WHO Best Buys for tackling NCDs (Score 4).
- have adopted mandatory measures for sodium reduction that will bring country to Score 3 or 4, but where not all have yet gone into effect (measures adopted but not yet in effect)
For full details about the policies and actions in each country, please click on the country name in the table below the map.
Population Group
More than a quarter of the world's population lives in countries with mandatory measures towards sodium reduction, including mandatory declaration of sodium
1. National policy commitment to reduce sodium intake: National policies, strategies or action plans that express a commitment to reduce sodium intake
2. Voluntary measures to reduce sodium: Voluntary measures that reduce sodium in the food supply or encourage consumers to make healthier food choices about sodium
3. Mandatory measures adopted for sodium reduction: Mandatory measures to reduce sodium in the food supply or encourage consumers to make healthier food choices, including mandatory declaration of sodium on all pre-packaged food
4. Multiple mandatory measures adopted for sodium reduction, and implementation of all related WHO Best Buys for tackling NCDs: Multiple mandatory measures, mandatory declaration of sodium on all pre-packaged food, and all sodium related WHO Best Buys
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Mandatory measures for sodium reduction adopted to bring country to Score 3 (not yet all in effect)- Missing data
Notes:
- Missing data – there has either been no action to reduce sodium intake or the status is unknown.
- Percentage data – indicates the % of the total population protected by mandatory sodium reduction measures (i.e. the share of world’s population that lives in Score 3 and 4 countries).
- Detailed information on the specific policy measures in each country that contribute towards the achievement of the scores is available here.
The Sodium Country Score Card was established as part of WHO’s efforts to reduce dietary sodium intake, it will track countries' performance on a continuous basis and will continue to be enhanced with additional features including population sodium intake. On 9 March 2023, WHO launched the Global report on sodium intake reduction exploring the progress of countries implementing sodium intake reduction policies and their impact on population dietary sodium intake and cardiovascular disease.
Read more about sodium reduction and other food systems actions for health at https://www.who.int/initiatives/food-systems-for-health
Date of last update: 20 September 2023