Muscat – In the last decade, Oman’s food security situation improved the most in the world, according to the latest Global Food Security Index (GFSI). The sultanate is ranked 35th in the world in the index in 2022 and fourth in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Oman’s score increased by 13.8 points since 2012 to 71.2 in 2022, which gives it the distinction of being the most improved country in the world, followed by China (+13.7), Vietnam (+13.4), Bolivia (+12.2), the United Arab Emirates (+12) and Saudi Arabia (+11.8) among others.

The 11th edition of GFSI was published by Economist Impact and supported by Corteva Agriscience. The index measured food security in 113 nations, based on food affordability, availability, quality and safety, and sustainability and adaptation. Since its launch in 2012, GFSI has become a valuable tool across all sectors, serving as a policy benchmark for governments and a country diagnostic tool for investment for both the private and public sectors.

The 2022 index revealed a fragile global food system ill prepared to weather shocks like the war in Ukraine and the summer’s heat waves. The GFSI report found that insufficient investments and increasing volatility continued to drive the deterioration of the global food environment. ‘This year’s skyrocketing food prices and rising global hunger are not just the product of conflict and extreme weather; they are also the reflection of a worrying trend of declining resilience in our food system,’ it stated.

The MENA region is led by the UAE (world rank 23rd), followed by Israel (24th), Qatar (30th), Oman (35th), Bahrain (38th), Saudi Arabia (41st), Jordan (47th), Turkey (49th) and Kuwait (50th) among others.

Oman scored 88.6 in the affordability category (out of 100), 64.3 for availability, 73.2 for quality and safety, and 53.6 for sustainability and adaptation.

Finland is ranked first in the world, followed by Ireland, Norway, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Portugal, making the top ten.

“The 2022 GFSI highlights the crucial impact of structural issues and risks to food security such as volatility in agricultural production, trade and supply-chain disruption, scarcity of natural resources, and increasing economic inequality,” said Pratima Singh, principal of Policy and Insights at Economist Impact.