Food insecurity remains a persistent global challenge, particularly in Global South countries such as Bangladesh. Despite being a long-standing policy priority, no study has explored the longitudinal trends and inequalities of food security across Bangladesh. Thus, this study assesses the trends and inequalities in food security across Bangladesh by analyzing the Household Income and Expenditure Surveys (HIES) from 2005, 2010, 2016, and 2022. The findings indicate that, while food security has improved by approximately 7% at the national from 2005 to 2022, the most recent data analysis reveals that nearly 39% of households were food insecure in 2022. In addition, inequality in food security is evident across Bangladesh. Nationally, rural areas exhibited higher food security (62%) compared to urban areas (59%). Regionally, Khulna and Rajshahi divisions recorded highest food security (around 69%), while Barishal division has the lowest (48.78%). At the agroecological level, the Ganges River Floodplain showed the highest food security (69.35%), while the Hill agroecological zone and the Southwest Coastal and Tidal Ecosystem had the lowest (55%). Socioeconomic disparities were also evident: Households headed by women (66.37%), as well as those that were smaller (70%) and had upper level incomes (63.77%), demonstrated higher food security levels. Conversely, households with access to microcredit (59.47%) and social safety net programs (58.21%) had lower food security levels. Addressing these inequalities can enable policymakers to design effective policies aimed at achieving the zero-hunger goal (SDG 2) and moving beyond SDGs.
By Abdul Mohammed Mokter Hossain, Md Sarwar Hossain and Cecilia Tortajada, 2025. Article published in World Food Policy, Volume 11, Issue 2, e70015. DOI: 10.1002/wfp2.70015