India ranks 100 of 119 countries on Global Hunger Index
India has a "serious" hunger problem, revealed the Global Hunger Index (GHI) report by Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). India -ranked 100th out of 119 developing countries on the index- lags behind countries like Iraq, Bangladesh, and even North Korea. While its position slipped from last year's 97th place, its hunger score increased to 31.4, indicating the situation is "serious". Know more!
India's rank lower than most neighbors
GHI report shows India's 100th rank is lower than its neighbors, including China (29), Nepal (72), Myanmar (77), Sri Lanka (84), and Bangladesh (88). India is the third-worst country in Asia, ahead only of Pakistan (106) and Afghanistan (107). Iraq and North Korea fared better than India with 78th and 93rd ranks, respectively. India's poor performance pushed South Asia to the "worst performing" category.
IFPRI on India's hunger problem and malnourished children
IFPRI stated, "India's high ranking on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) again this year brings to the fore the disturbing reality of the country's stubbornly high proportions of malnourished children." In India, over one-fifth of the children under the age of five years weigh very less for their height, while one-third of the under-fives are too short for their age.
Reasons behind India's hunger problem
IFPRI Director for South Asia, PK Joshi, stated: "Even with the massive scale-up of national nutrition-focused programmes in India, drought and structural deficiencies have left a large number of poor in India at risk of malnourishment in 2017."
What is the Global Hunger Index (GHI)?
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a statistical tool developed by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), to measure and track hunger - globally, regionally and nationally. It is designed to raise awareness and call attention to the issue and hopes to increase the commitment and resources dedicated to end hunger. The first edition of GHI was published in 2006.
GHI parameters
GHI scores are based on four indicators: proportion of undernourished people, mortality rate for children under the age of 5, child stunting, and child wasting. A high GHI score reflects high hunger problem and vice-versa. On the GHI scale, a score below 10 indicates "low" prevalence of hunger and above 50 means an "extremely alarming" situation.
Half of countries have GHI score of above 20
According to this year's report, nearly half of the 119 developing nations have "serious", "alarming", or "extremely alarming" hunger levels. GHI score of 20-34.9 denotes "serious" hunger levels, and those between 35 and 49.9 indicate "alarming" hunger levels.
Best and worst performing countries this year
Nations like Chile, Cuba, and Turkey are among the best developing countries this year with a score of less than 5 on the Global Hunger Index. On the other hand, the war-torn Central African Republic, followed by Chad, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, and Zambia are the worst affected countries. Central African Republic has an "extremely alarmingly" GHI score of 50.9 while Chad scored 43.5.
