Global Hunger Index 2022 is out.

News Highlight

India ranks 107 out of 121 countries on the Global Hunger Index in which it fares worse than all countries in South Asia barring war-torn Afghanistan.

Key Takeaways

• India ranks 107th out of 121 countries on the Global Hunger Index 2022.
• India also ranks below Sri Lanka (64), Nepal (81), Bangladesh (84), and Pakistan (99).
• Afghanistan (109) is the only country in South Asia that performs worse than India on the index.

Global Hunger Index (GHI)

• The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels, reflecting multiple dimensions of hunger over time
• The GHI, jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, comprehensively measures and tracks hunger at the global, regional, and country levels. 
• Aim of GHI
  • To comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels, reflecting multiple dimensions of hunger over time. 
  • To raise awareness and understanding of the struggle against hunger
  • To compare levels of hunger between countries and regions, and call attention to those areas of the world where hunger levels are highest and where the need for additional efforts to eliminate hunger is greatest.

Indicators for measuring the GHI index

• Each country’s GHI score is calculated based on a formula that combines four indicators that together capture the multidimensional nature of hunger:

Scoring of GHI

• Based on the values of the four indicators, the GHI determines hunger on a 100-point scale where 0 is the best possible score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst.
• Each country’s GHI score is classified by severity, from low to extremely alarming.

Global Scenario

• Global progress against hunger has largely stagnated in recent years, according to the 2022 GHI.
  • The prevalence of undernourishment shows that the share of people who lack regular access to sufficient calories is increasing, with as many as 828 million people undernourished in 2021.
• Human-induced climate change is causing more frequent and intense extreme weather events, leading to widespread adverse impacts for nature and people. 

• Violent conflict, another driver of hunger, is also on the rise, as described in the 2021 Global Hunger Index report.
• Africa South of the Sahara and South Asia are the regions with the highest hunger levels and are most vulnerable to future shocks and crises. 
• Without a major shift, neither the world as a whole nor approximately 46 countries are projected to achieve even low hunger as measured by the GHI by 2030. 

Indian Scenario

• Child wasting rate
  • India’s child stunting rate (height underweight) is 19.3%, higher than the levels recorded in 2014 (15.1%) and 2000 (17.15%).
  • This is the highest for any country in the world and boosts the region’s average due to India’s high population.
• Undernourishment
  • Prevalence of undernourishment, a measure of the proportion of the population facing a chronic lack of food intake, rose from 14.6% in 2018-2020 to 16.3% in 2019-2021 in the country.
  • Out of 828 million undernourished people worldwide, 224 million people in India are considered undernourished.
• Child Stunting & Mortality
  • Child stunting declined from 38.7% to 35.5% between 2014 and 2022.
  • Child mortality has also dropped from 4.6% to 3.3% in the same comparative period.

Content Source: The Hindu