NEW DELHI: India has ranked 105 out of 127 countries in the 2024 Global Hunger Index released on Saturday. It is one of 42 countries categorized as “serious” in terms the level of hunger, alongside Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“With a score of 27.3 in the 2024 Global Hunger Index, India has a level of hunger that is serious,” the report said.
The report, which was rejected by India last year, revealed that over 35.5% of children under the age of five in the country are stunted and nearly 18.7% under five are wasted.Meanwhile, over 13.7% of the population is undernourished.
In contrast, South Asian neighbors like Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have achieved better GHI scores, placing them in the “moderate” category.
Last year India ranked 111 out of 125 nations. However, the rankings between different editions of the report cannot be directly compared. The improved GHI score can be attributed to a slightly lower child mortality rate, as well as a reduction in the prevalence of undernourishment, as per the new data, the report said.
Does higher GDP mean lower hunger levels?
Addressing that how increased GDP does not guarantee lower hunger levels, the report said that India’s GDP growth saw a significant decline during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.
While per capita dietary energy supply has increased slightly in recent years, this progress has been undermined by higher caloric losses in retail distribution, rising dietary energy needs, and greater inequality in caloric intake.
Consequently, the prevalence of undernourishment in India rose from 2017–2019 to 2020–2022, although there has been a slight improvement since then.
