VoltraHow much sugar a day? WHO limits in grams and teaspoons
WHO recommends keeping free sugars below 10% of your daily calories, and suggests going below 5% for extra benefit [1]. On 2,000 kcal that's under 50 g a day, about 12 level teaspoons, and ideally under about 25 g, or 6 teaspoons [2] [3]. Free sugars are sugars added to food and drink plus those in honey, syrups and fruit juice; the sugar inside whole fruit, vegetables and milk doesn't count [1].
WHO's two limits
WHO's 2015 guideline makes three recommendations: reduce free sugars throughout life, a strong recommendation; for adults and children, cut them "to less than 10% of total energy intake", also strong; and a further reduction "to below 5% of total energy intake", which is conditional [1].
A strong recommendation is one that "can be adopted as policy in most situations"; a conditional one is made when the balance of benefits and harms is less certain [1]. The recommendations rest on evidence about body weight and tooth decay, and the 5% level on very low-quality population studies of tooth decay [1]. WHO found no evidence of harm from going below 5% [1].
Your limit in grams and teaspoons
WHO puts 10% at 50 g, "about 12 level teaspoons", for someone eating about 2,000 kcal a day [2], and 5% at "roughly 25 grams (6 teaspoons)" [3]. For other calorie levels the arithmetic is the same:
| Daily calories | Under 10% | Under 5% |
|---|---|---|
| 1,600 kcal | 40 g (about 10 tsp) | 20 g (about 5 tsp) |
| 2,000 kcal | 50 g (about 12 tsp) | 25 g (about 6 tsp) |
| 2,400 kcal | 60 g (about 14 tsp) | 30 g (about 7 tsp) |
Calculated: calories × share ÷ 4 kcal per gram, WHO's energy value for carbohydrate [1]. Teaspoons at 4.2 g per level teaspoon of granulated sugar, USDA's weight [4]. Our calorie guide explains how to work out your own daily calories.
What counts as free sugar
WHO's definition: "Free sugars include monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods and beverages by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates." [1]
The limits don't cover the sugars inside intact fruit and vegetables or the sugar in milk, because WHO found no reported evidence of harm from them [1]. Juice is different: WHO says most fruit juices, "including those without added sugars", contain significant amounts of free sugars [2]. Oman's 2026 guide applies the same rule to date syrup (dibs), honey and fresh juices: their sugars are natural, but they count as free sugars [14].
The NHS explains that the sugar figure on UK food labels is total sugar, from all sources [9]. EFSA, the EU's food safety agency, defines total sugars as "all sugars present in the diet, including those naturally present in fruit, vegetables, and milk" [8]. So a plain yoghurt can list up to about 8 g of sugar a serving with none of it free sugar [9]. WHO also says to cut free sugars without switching to non-sugar sweeteners [2].
What other bodies say
| Body | Limit | Sugars counted |
|---|---|---|
| American Heart Association, adults (2009) [5] | Most women no more than 100 kcal a day, about 25 g; most men 150 kcal, about 37.5 g (calculated) | Added |
| American Heart Association, children (2017) [6] | 25 g or less a day; no added sugars under age 2 | Added |
| EFSA, EU (2022) [7] | As low as possible; no safe upper level could be set | Added and free |
| NHS, UK [9] | Adults no more than 30 g a day | Free |
Grams calculated at 4 kcal per gram [1]. Bahrain's food guide gives the AHA's adult limits as 9 teaspoons for men and 6 for women [13].
EFSA concluded that "the intake of added and free sugars should be as low as possible in the context of a nutritionally adequate diet", but the data didn't let it set a safe upper level [7]. The AHA's statement on children recommends 25 g or less a day, about 6 teaspoons, and no added sugars before age 2 [6].
Sugar in common drinks
| Drink | Sugar per 100 g | In a 250 ml glass |
|---|---|---|
| Regular cola, USDA [4] | 9.9 g | about 25 g |
| Colas made in Bahrain, 3 lab-tested [10] | 10.8–12.3 g | about 27–31 g |
| Fruit drinks made in Bahrain, 11 lab-tested [10] | 9.7–13.3 g | about 24–33 g |
| Orange juice, fresh, USDA [4] | 8.4 g | about 21 g |
| Karak tea, lab-tested in Bahrain [10] | 7.3 g | about 18 g |
Glass figures calculated, taking 100 ml as about 100 g. All of the juice's sugar counts as free sugar under WHO's definition [1].
WHO notes that "A single can of sugar-sweetened soda contains up to 40 grams (around 10 teaspoons) of free sugars." [3] One 250 ml glass of regular cola is about the whole 25 g of WHO's 5% level on 2,000 kcal (calculated). Our karak guide has figures per cup.
What the Gulf guides say
| Guide | Sugar advice |
|---|---|
| Kuwait (2023) [11] | No more than 6 teaspoons (25 g) of added sugar a day |
| UAE (2019) [12] | Under 10% of calories, ideally 5% |
| Bahrain (2023) [13] | Added sugar under 10% of calories, about 12 teaspoons on 2,000 kcal; ideally under 5% |
| Oman (2026) [14] | WHO's under 10%, with more benefit under 5% |
| Qatar (2015) [15] | Cut foods high in sugar and avoid sugary drinks; no number |
| Saudi Arabia (2012) [16] | Avoid foods rich in sugar; no number |
From the Arabic editions, read from the page images. The years are publication years.
Kuwait's guide names sweetened drinks and sweetened coffee as main sources of added sugar [11]. Oman's asks you to cut sugary drinks, stop adding sugar to coffee, tea and herbal drinks, and eat whole fruit instead of drinking fresh juice; it suggests fresh vegetable juice instead of sweetened drinks such as tamarind, jallab, hibiscus and rose-water syrup [14].
WHO's Eastern Mediterranean office, which covers the Gulf, goes further for the region: "Considering the high prevalence of obesity and diabetes in the Region, WHO recommends that children and women should consume less than 5% (roughly 25 grams per person a day) of free sugars in their diet" [17]. It adds that "Sugar consumption in almost half the countries of the Region exceeds 70 g per person a day" [17]. Our guide to the Gulf's food guides compares their other numbers.
Sugar taxes and labels
Saudi Arabia has taxed sweetened drinks since 2019, at a fixed 50% of the retail price [18] [19]. Since 1 January 2026 the tax depends on the total sugar in each 100 ml, following a decision of the GCC's financial and economic cooperation committee [18]. The UAE brought in the same tiers on the same date [20]:
| Total sugar per 100 ml | Saudi Arabia | UAE |
|---|---|---|
| Sweeteners only, no sugar | 0 | 0 |
| Under 5 g | 0 | 0 |
| 5 g to under 8 g | SAR 0.79 a litre | AED 0.79 a litre |
| 8 g or more | SAR 1.09 a litre | AED 1.09 a litre |
ZATCA's guide [19] and UAE Cabinet Decision No. 197 of 2025 [20]. Saudi Arabia writes the middle tier as 5 to 7.99 g.
At the top rate, the tax on a 330 ml can comes to about SAR 0.36 in Saudi Arabia (calculated). Both countries leave out 100% natural juices with nothing added [19] [21], although WHO counts the sugar in juice as free sugar [1]. We found no official Kuwaiti source for a tax on sweetened drinks.
Labels help too. In 2018 Saudi Arabia's food and drug authority, the SFDA, said producers had been required to show added sugar in the nutrition facts, and it signed voluntary agreements with food companies to cut sugar, salt and fat in their products [22]. In a sugar campaign the same year it said a food is high in sugar when a solid has more than 22.5 g per 100 g or a drink more than 11.5 g per 100 g; that a sugar-free claim means no more than 0.5 g per 100 g; and that a no-added-sugar claim means none was added, though the product may still contain its own [23].
In Voltra
In the You tab, the Eat section has a card for fibre, sugar and saturated fat that shows your daily averages from the foods you log that carry label data. The sugar it shows is total sugar, not added or free sugar, and it's shown against a 30 g reference. So it can't be compared directly with WHO's free-sugars limit. Total sugar includes the sugar in milk and whole fruit: a cup of whole milk (244 g) has about 12 g, all of it milk sugar (calculated) [4], and an apple about 11 g [9], together about 23 g of total sugar and no free sugar at all (calculated). The UK's limit for adults is also 30 g, but that's free sugar [9], so the two numbers measure different things.
Frequently asked
How many grams of sugar a day is OK?
WHO recommends keeping free sugars under 10% of calories, 50 g on a 2,000 kcal day, and suggests under 5%, about 25 g. The limits cover free sugars, not the sugar in whole fruit, vegetables or milk.
How many teaspoons of sugar a day?
About 12 level teaspoons at WHO's 10% limit on 2,000 kcal, and about 6 at 5%. Kuwait's guide says no more than 6 teaspoons (25 g) of added sugar a day.
Does the sugar in fruit and date syrup count?
Not the sugar inside whole fruit. Fruit juice, honey, syrups and date syrup (dibs) count as free sugars.
How much sugar is in a can of soft drink?
WHO says a can of sugar-sweetened soda can contain up to 40 g, around 10 teaspoons. USDA's figure for regular cola is 9.9 g per 100 g, about 25 g in a 250 ml glass.
Sources
- World Health Organization (2015). Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children. Recommendations and remarks (p. 4); background (p. 7).
- World Health Organization (2026). Healthy diet (fact sheet). Sugars; fruit and vegetables.
- World Health Organization (2015). WHO calls on countries to reduce sugars intake among adults and children (news release, 4 March 2015). Paragraphs 1 and 4.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (2019). FoodData Central, SR Legacy: sugars, granulated (169655), and related records. Also 174852 (cola), 169098 (orange juice) and 171265 (whole milk).
- Johnson RK, Appel LJ, Brands M, et al.; American Heart Association (2009). Dietary sugars intake and cardiovascular health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation 120(11):1011–1020. Abstract.
- Vos MB, Kaar JL, Welsh JA, et al.; American Heart Association (2017). Added sugars and cardiovascular disease risk in children: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation 135(19):e1017–e1034. Abstract.
- EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) (2022). Tolerable upper intake level for dietary sugars. EFSA Journal 20(2):7074. Abstract. Requested by five Nordic countries.
- European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (2022). Added and free sugars should be as low as possible (news). Definitions of added, free and total sugars.
- NHS (2023). Sugar: the facts. Page last reviewed May 2023.
- Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Bahrain (2025). Bahrain Food Composition Tables, 1st edition. Item 2.1 (p. 24) and market beverages (p. 55).
- الهيئة العامة للغذاء والتغذية، الكويت (٢٠٢٣). دليل الكويت الإرشادي للنُّظم الغذائية. In Arabic. Printed p. 25, read from the page image.
- وزارة الصحة ووقاية المجتمع، الإمارات (٢٠١٩). الدليل الإرشادي الوطني للتغذية. In Arabic. P. 9, read from the page image; official link dead, Internet Archive copy cited.
- وزارة الصحة، مملكة البحرين (٢٠٢٣). الدليل الإرشادي الغذائي لمملكة البحرين. In Arabic. Printed pp. 64–65, read from the page image.
- وزارة الصحة، سلطنة عُمان (٢٠٢٦). الدليل العُماني للغذاء الصحي (النسخة المحدثة). In Arabic. Printed pp. 119–121, read from the page images.
- المجلس الأعلى للصحة، قطر (٢٠١٥). الدلائل الإرشادية للتغذية لدولة قطر. In Arabic. Printed p. 22, read from the page image.
- وزارة الصحة، المملكة العربية السعودية، الإدارة العامة للتغذية (٢٠١٢). الدليل الغذائي السعودي: النخلة الغذائية الصحية. In Arabic. Printed p. 20, read from the page image.
- WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. Questions and answers on reducing sugar consumption to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases. Undated; its references are from 2015.
- هيئة الزكاة والضريبة والجمارك (٢٠٢٥). بدء تطبيق تعديلات اللائحة التنفيذية للضريبة الانتقائية في 1 يناير 2026م. In Arabic. News, 30 December 2025.
- هيئة الزكاة والضريبة والجمارك (٢٠٢٥). دليل توضيحي لتطبيق النهج الحجمي المتدرج على المشروبات المحلاة. In Arabic. Pp. 4 and 6, read from the page images.
- مجلس الوزراء، الإمارات (٢٠٢٥). قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم (197) لسنة 2025: السلع الانتقائية والنسب أو المبالغ الضريبية التي تفرض عليها وكيفية احتساب السعر الانتقائي. In Arabic; the Ministry of Finance publishes an English translation. Article 10.
- Federal Tax Authority, UAE (2025). Calculating excise tax according to a tiered-volumetric model for sweetened drinks. Exceptions. The page lists the middle tier as AED 0.97; the Cabinet Decision says 0.79.
- الهيئة العامة للغذاء والدواء (٢٠١٨). وقّعت اتفاقية مع شركات لخفض السكر والملح والدهون تماشياً مع رؤية 2030: الغذاء والدواء تطلق استراتيجية تنظيم الغذاء الصحي. In Arabic. News, 13 September 2018.
- الهيئة العامة للغذاء والدواء (٢٠١٨). الغذاء والدواء تطلق حملة توعوية بأهمية تخفيض استهلاك السكر في الوجبات الغذائية. In Arabic. News, 4 June 2018.
Sources checked on 30 September 2026.
Log your food and training with Voltra. Free to download; the yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial. Works fully in English and Arabic.
