NewDelhi: India’s position in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2024 has worsened, dropping to 105th out of 127 countries, placing the nation in the “serious” hunger category. The latest GHI report, jointly released by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, tracks hunger levels worldwide and highlights areas in need of urgent intervention.
Although India’s ranking has improved slightly from previous years, it remains behind neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, though it is ahead of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Severity of Hunger Highlighted in Report
The 2024 report assigns India a score of 27.3, reflecting the severe level of hunger in the country. It also notes a slight increase in the prevalence of undernourishment in recent years. India still faces significant challenges with child malnutrition, particularly with the world’s highest child wasting rate (18.7%), a stunting rate of 35.5%, and a child mortality rate of 2.9%. Additionally, 13.7% of the population suffers from undernourishment.
While India has made substantial progress in reducing child mortality since 2000, malnutrition remains a serious issue. Despite some improvements in stunting since 2000, these indicators continue to pose public health challenges.
The GHI 2024 stresses that global progress in reducing hunger has stagnated since 2016, making it increasingly unlikely to achieve the goal of ending hunger by 2030. Out of the 127 countries evaluated, 42 are still facing “alarming” or “serious” hunger levels.
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