GLOBAL HUNGER INDEX (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Social Issues -Health)

Context: India recently ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the 2023 Global Hunger Index, with a score of 28.7, signalling a serious hunger concern.

• The country came after neighbouring countries Pakistan (102nd), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th) and Sri Lanka (60th). However, India fared better than South Asia and Africa South of the Sahara, which recorded a score of 27 each.
• As per the index, India also has the highest child wasting rate in the world at 18.7 percent, reflecting acute undernutrition.

Global Hunger Index (GHI)

• About: The GHI serves as a comprehensive instrument for measuring and monitoring hunger on a global, regional, and national scale.
• Objective: The GHI is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels, reflecting multiple dimensions of hunger over time.
• Published by: Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe
• Calculation: The GHI score for each country is determined by a formula that combines four indicators to capture the multidimensional nature of hunger:

oUndernourishment: The percentage of the population with inadequate caloric intake.

oChild stunting: The percentage of children under the age of five with below-average height for their age, indicating chronic undernutrition.

oChild wasting: The percentage of children under the age of five with below-average weight for their height, indicating acute undernutrition.

oChild mortality: The percentage of children who die before their fifth birthday, reflecting a combination of insufficient nutrition and unhealthy environments.