New report shows it takes four days’ work to pay for a basic food basket in some Pacific nations
World Vision research examining food affordability in more than 60 countries finds that food is around 15 times less affordable in some Pacific nations than in New Zealand.
The aid organisation’s annual Price Shocks survey compares the cost of 10 staples such as rice, flour, eggs, milk, cooking oil and chicken with the average income in 62 countries.
The report, released for World Food Day (October 16), reveals that New Zealand ranks among the 10 most affordable nations for food. At the other end of the spectrum, the report finds food is very unaffordable in some of the world’s poorest countries, including Malawi, Sudan, and Somalia.
In the Pacific, food affordability is challenging in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands where people need to work more than four days to pay for a basket of food staples compared with New Zealanders who need to work just 2.2 hours to pay for the same 10 food items.
World Vision New Zealand’s Head of International Partnerships, Stephen Court, says New Zealanders understand the pressure of food price inflation, but our challenges pale in comparison to many other countries.
“New Zealanders understand the sacrifices that families may have to make due to the rising cost of food, but our daily experience is magnified tenfold or more in other parts of the world.
“Our neighbours in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands are working more than four days to afford basic staples while in Malawi it takes around 20 days to afford a basic basket of food.
“And when food costs that much, parents don’t stop feeding their kids, they feed them less, or differently. Meat disappears first, then vegetables and fruit and then slowly but surely children are on a pathway toward hunger, malnutrition, and stunting which can have lifelong impacts. In Papua New Guinea alone, nearly half of children have stunted growth.”
In 2025, an estimated 35.5 million children were acutely malnourished worldwide, including nearly 10 million suffering severe acute malnutrition. Meanwhile, healthy diets remain out of reach for one in three people worldwide.
“A lack of nutritious food causes so much harm. Malnutrition can curb children’s physical and cognitive development, weaken their immunity and increase their risk of death. These devastating impacts can continue throughout childhood and into adulthood and are not always easily reversed,” Court says.
He says in countries impacted by conflict, economic crises, or severe climate change and weather events, the cost of a basket of food can be astronomical. In Sudan for instance, it takes 19.3 days to pay for a food basket, while in the Central African Republic it’s 30 days.
Court says the impact of climate change in the Pacific is particularly acute and dramatically affects families’ ability to grow and access enough nutritious food.
In light of escalating food affordability issues globally, World Vision is calling on governments, donors, businesses, and international institutions to take action to improve the affordability of food around the world. In particular, the organisation wants to see:
He says World Vision is already working in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to improve nutrition and the resilience of local food systems in several Pacific countries, including Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu and this needs to be continued and expanded.
New Zealanders wanting to support World Vision’s work to improve nutrition and food security in the Pacific can donate here.
The aid organisation’s annual Price Shocks survey compares the cost of 10 staples such as rice, flour, eggs, milk, cooking oil and chicken with the average income in 62 countries.
The report, released for World Food Day (October 16), reveals that New Zealand ranks among the 10 most affordable nations for food. At the other end of the spectrum, the report finds food is very unaffordable in some of the world’s poorest countries, including Malawi, Sudan, and Somalia.
In the Pacific, food affordability is challenging in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands where people need to work more than four days to pay for a basket of food staples compared with New Zealanders who need to work just 2.2 hours to pay for the same 10 food items.
World Vision New Zealand’s Head of International Partnerships, Stephen Court, says New Zealanders understand the pressure of food price inflation, but our challenges pale in comparison to many other countries.
“New Zealanders understand the sacrifices that families may have to make due to the rising cost of food, but our daily experience is magnified tenfold or more in other parts of the world.
“Our neighbours in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands are working more than four days to afford basic staples while in Malawi it takes around 20 days to afford a basic basket of food.
“And when food costs that much, parents don’t stop feeding their kids, they feed them less, or differently. Meat disappears first, then vegetables and fruit and then slowly but surely children are on a pathway toward hunger, malnutrition, and stunting which can have lifelong impacts. In Papua New Guinea alone, nearly half of children have stunted growth.”
In 2025, an estimated 35.5 million children were acutely malnourished worldwide, including nearly 10 million suffering severe acute malnutrition. Meanwhile, healthy diets remain out of reach for one in three people worldwide.
“A lack of nutritious food causes so much harm. Malnutrition can curb children’s physical and cognitive development, weaken their immunity and increase their risk of death. These devastating impacts can continue throughout childhood and into adulthood and are not always easily reversed,” Court says.
He says in countries impacted by conflict, economic crises, or severe climate change and weather events, the cost of a basket of food can be astronomical. In Sudan for instance, it takes 19.3 days to pay for a food basket, while in the Central African Republic it’s 30 days.
Court says the impact of climate change in the Pacific is particularly acute and dramatically affects families’ ability to grow and access enough nutritious food.
In light of escalating food affordability issues globally, World Vision is calling on governments, donors, businesses, and international institutions to take action to improve the affordability of food around the world. In particular, the organisation wants to see:
- School meals programmes strengthened in many countries.
- Greater investment in local food systems and livelihoods so that communities can withstand global shocks.
- Businesses take responsibility for respecting children’s right to adequate food, including by helping ensure nutritious food remains affordable and accessible for families.
- Action to address conflict, climate, and economic pressures that continue to keep nutritious food out of reach for millions of children and families.
- Investment in emergency food aid to ensure children and communities affected by conflict and displacement can access nutritious food.
He says World Vision is already working in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to improve nutrition and the resilience of local food systems in several Pacific countries, including Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu and this needs to be continued and expanded.
New Zealanders wanting to support World Vision’s work to improve nutrition and food security in the Pacific can donate here.