Global Hunger Index 2022: India slips six places, ranked 107 of 121 countries

The 15^th Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2022 was released in which India slipped 6 places to rank at 107^th out of 121 countries with a score of 29.1. The level of hunger in India is rated as ‘serious’.

• In 2021, India ranked 101 out of 116 countries. In 2020, it was placed at 94^th

About GHI:

It is a peer-reviewed annual report since 2000 measuring and tracking hunger at the global, regional, and country levels. It is jointly published by European NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.

• Its aim is to trigger action to reduce hunger around the world.

Basis of Assessment:

i.Each set of GHI scores uses data from a 5-year period.  The 2022 GHI scores are calculated using data from 2017 through 2021. GHI score is calculated by combining the following four indicators:

•  Undernourishment: The share of the population with insufficient caloric intake.
• Child stunting: The share of children under age five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition.
• Child wasting: The share of children under age five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition.
• Child mortality: The share of children who die before their fifth birthday, partly reflecting the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments

ii.The data used for the indicators have been sourced from various UN (United Nations) and other multilateral agencies, including UNICEF, World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

iii.The GHI score is calculated on a 100-point scale- zero is the best score (implies no hunger) and 100 is the worst.

iv.For GHI 2022, the data was assessed for overall 136 countries. However, ranking was given for 121 countries as for 15 countries, individual scores could not be calculated owing to lack of data.

GHI 2022 Ranking:

It should be noted that the 17 countries with 2022 GHI scores of less than 5 are not assigned individual ranks. They are collectively ranked 1–17. These 17 countries are:

• Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Chile, China, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Uruguay.
• Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Central African Republic and Yemen are the countries ranked at the bottom of the index.

Global Scenario:

i.The global score of GHI 2022 is 18.2 as compared to 19.1 in 2014, and is still considered ‘moderate’. It is expected that world hunger will worsen in 2023 and beyond.

ii.Some 828 million people were suffering from undernourishment around the world in 2021.

iii.The highest levels of hunger were in Africa South of the Sahara and South Asia.

iv.As per the index, there are 44 countries that currently have “serious” or “alarming” hunger levels.

v.Climate change is the major hurdle for achieving Zero Hunger target.

Regional Scenario: Asia

i.South Asia is the region with the world’s highest hunger level, has the highest child stunting rate and highest child wasting rate in the world.

ii.India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan each have child stunting rates between 35 and 38%, with Afghanistan’s rate being the highest in the region.

India’s Scenario:

i.In Asia, Afghanistan with a rank of 109 is the only country behind India.

ii.India’s Neighbouring countries scores as follows: Pakistan (99), Bangladesh (84), Nepal (81) and Sri Lanka (64).

iii.India’s Performance in the Four Indicators:

• Child Wasting: India’s child wasting rate is at 19.3%, worse than the levels recorded in 2014 (15.1%) and even 2000 (17.15%). It is the highest for any country in the world.
• Undernourishment: Prevalence of undernourishment has also risen from 14.6% in 2018-2020 to 16.3% in 2019-2021. It implies that 224.3 million (%) people in India are considered undernourished.
• Child Stunting and Mortality: India has shown improvement in child stunting and child mortality. India’s child stunting bettered from 38.7% in 2012-16 to 35.5% in 2017-21 and child mortality from 4.6% in 2014 to 3.3% in 2020.

iv.This decline in the indicators of Child Stunting and Mortality is mainly due to improvements in the coverage of health and nutrition interventions, household conditions, and maternal factors.

• Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu have shown a tremendous improvement between 2006 and 2016.

Click here for Official Index

Recent Related News:

i.The University of Hyderabad (UoH) in Telangana, an Institution of Eminence (IoE), was placed first among Indian universities and 16th among all academic institutions in India under the institutions ordered by research outputs in the academic sector in the Nature Index 2022 ranking.

ii.Razorpay Software Private Limited, India’s leading full-stack Payments and Banking Platform for Businesses, has become the 1st Indian company to be named in the 2022 Forbes Cloud 100 List of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world.

Static: India’s Initiatives to Eradicate Hunger/Malnutrition:

PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY), Eat Right India Movement, POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Food Fortification, National Food Security Act, 2013, Mission Indradhanush, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme