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Key facts

High sodium consumption (>2gr/day, equivalent to 5gr salt/day) and insufficient potassium intake (less than 3.5gr/day) contribute to high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The main source of sodium in our diet is salt (although it can come from sodium glutamate, which is used as a condiment in many parts of the world).
Most people consume on average 9–12gr of salt per day.
Salt intake of less than 5 grams per day for adults helps reduce blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and coronary heart attack.
WHO Member States have agreed to reduce the global population’s intake of salt by a relative 30% by 2025.
An estimated 2.5 million deaths could be prevented each year if global salt consumption were reduced to the recommended level, only for the corresponding reduction in high blood pressure.

Government policies and strategies should create environments that enable populations to consume adequate quantities of safe and nutritious foods that make up a healthy diet including low salt. Improving dietary habits is a societal as well as an individual responsibility and demands a population-based, multisectoral, and culturally relevant approach.

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Recommendations for salt reduction

For adults: adults should consume less than 5 g (just under a teaspoon) of salt per day.
For children: the recommended maximum intake of salt for adults should be adjusted downward for children aged two to 15 years based on their energy requirements relative to those of adults. This recommendation for children does not address the period of exclusive breastfeeding (0–6 months) or the period of complementary feeding with continued breastfeeding (6–24 months).
All salt that is consumed should be iodized or fortified with iodine, which is essential for healthy brain development in the fetus and young child and optimizing people’s mental function in general.

Salt reduction

Key facts

Recommendations for salt reduction

How to reduce salt consumption at home