India Ranks 111 Out of 125 Countries in Global Hunger Index

India ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023, with a score of 28.7, indicating a serious level of hunger. This is a decline from India’s ranking of 107th in 2022.

The GHI is a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger at global, regional, and national levels. It is a composite index of four indicators: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality.

India’s GHI score has improved over the long term, but progress has slowed in recent years. In 2000, India’s GHI score was 38.4. By 2015, it had improved to 29.2. However, since then, India’s GHI score has improved by only 0.5 points.

One of the most concerning aspects of India’s performance on the GHI is its child wasting rate. India has the highest child wasting rate in the world, at 18.7%. This means that nearly one in five children under the age of five in India is too thin for their height.

Child wasting is a serious form of malnutrition that can lead to stunted growth and cognitive development. It is also a major risk factor for death from preventable diseases.

The Indian government has taken some steps to address hunger and malnutrition, such as the National Food Security Act and the Poshan Abhiyan program. However, more needs to be done to improve access to nutritious food and to address the underlying causes of hunger, such as poverty and lack of access to healthcare and education.

The decline in India’s GHI ranking is a wake-up call. It is a reminder that India still has a long way to go in ensuring that all of its citizens have access to enough nutritious food to eat.

What can be done to address hunger in India?

There are a number of things that can be done to address hunger in India, including:

• Expanding access to nutritious food: This can be done through government programs such as the National Food Security Act and the Poshan Abhiyan program. It can also be done by promoting sustainable agriculture and by improving access to markets for smallholder farmers.
• Addressing the underlying causes of hunger: This includes poverty, lack of access to healthcare and education, and gender inequality.
• Raising awareness of the problem of hunger: This can be done through public education campaigns and by advocating for policies that address hunger and malnutrition.

Addressing hunger is a complex challenge, but it is one that India must address if it wants to achieve its full potential.