A new methodology and countryapplications in Ethiopia and the Philippines Technical Report Copyright © 2025 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bankand the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank and the Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations (FAO) with external contributions. The findings,interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views ofFAO or The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank and FAO do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or currency ofthe data included in this work and do not assume responsibility for any errors, omissions,or discrepancies in the information, or liability with respect to the use of or failure to usethe information, methods, processes, or conclusions set forth. The boundaries, colors,denominations, links/footnotes and other information shown on any map in this work donot imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank or FAO concerning the legal statusof any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The citation of worksauthored by others does not mean the World Bank and FAO endorse the views expressed bythose authors or the content of their works. Nothing herein shall constitute or be construed or considered to be a limitation upon orwaiver of the privileges and immunities of The World Bank or FAO, whose privileges andimmunities are specifically reserved. Rights and Permissions This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommerical 3.0 IGOlicense (CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/igo/deed.enUnder the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial license, you are free to copy,distribute, transmit, and adapt this work, for noncommercial purposes only, under thefollowing conditions: Attribution—Please cite the work as follows: World Bank and FAO. 2025.Uncovering theeconomic costs of unhealthy diets: A new methodology and country applications in Ethiopia andthe Philippines. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank and FAO. doi:10.1596/43260.License:Creative Commons Attribution CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO Translations—If you create a translation of this work, please add the following disclaimeralong with the attribution:This translation was not created by The World Bank and FAO andshould not be considered an official translation. The World Bank or FAO shall not be liable for anycontent or error in this translation. Adaptations—If you create an adaptation of this work, please add the following disclaimeralong with the attribution:This is an adaptation of an original work by The World Bank and FAO.Views and opinions expressed in the adaptation are the sole responsibility of the author or authorsof the adaptation and are not endorsed by The World Bank and/or FAO Third-party content—The World Bank and FAO do not necessarily own each component ofthe content contained within the work. The World Bank and FAO therefore do not warrantthat the use of any third-party-owned individual component or part contained in the workwill not infringe on the rights of those third parties. The risk of claims resulting from suchinfringement rests solely with you. If you wish to re-use a component of the work, it is yourresponsibility to determine whether permission is needed for that re-use and to obtainpermission from the copyright owner. Examples of components can include, but are notlimited to, tables, figures, or images. All queries on rights and licenses should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The WorldBank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; e-mail:pubrights@worldbank.org. Cover Design: Veronica Elena Gadea, GCS, World Bank Group Contents ForewordV AcknowledgmentsVII Abbreviations and AcronymsIX Executive Summary1 Economic costs of child stunting attributable to unhealthy diets3Estimates of economic costs of diet-related noncommunicable diseasesin adult populations4Conclusions, strengths, and limitations of the methodology5 1Objective and structure10 2Definitions, conceptual framework, measurement,andcountry backgrounds 2.1. Definitions and conceptual framework142.2. Ethiopia182.3. Philippines21 3Estimating the costs of child stunting attributable tounhealthy diets26 4Estimating the economic costs of diet-relatednoncommunicable diseases in adult populations 32 4.1. Step 1: Matching individual-level quantitative dietary intake data toGlobalDiet Quality Score food groups 34 4.2. Step 2: Analysis of the relationships between diet indicators,nutritionalstatus, and diet-related noncommunicable disease risk factors36 4.3. Step 3: How to proceed where the Global Diet Quality Score valuescan’tbelinked to noncommunicable disease risks? Reviewing evidencefromother countries43 4.4. Step 4: Attributing economic costs to unhealthydiets45 5Conclusion52 5.2. Implications for data53 5.3. Rele