Where does India rank on the Global Hunger Index 2024
What's the story
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) report for 2024 has placed India at the 105th rank among 127 countries.
India is now among countries with "serious" hunger problems, behind its neighbors Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.
It, however, ranks slightly higher than Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The GHI series is published jointly by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe to track global hunger levels and highlight areas needing immediate intervention.
Hunger score
India's hunger score indicates 'serious' level
India's GHI score for 2024 stands at 27.3, which denotes a "serious" level of hunger.
The report also notes a slight rise in the prevalence of undernourishment in recent years.
While India has improved from its 2016 score of 29.3, it still trails behind its neighbors.
But slight progress is evident when compared to 2000 and 2008 scores, which were "alarming" at 38.4 and 35.2, respectively.
Child malnutrition
India grapples with child malnutrition challenges
As per the report, India also has the highest global child wasting rate at 18.7%.
Other troubling statistics include a child stunting rate of 35.5%, under-five mortality rate of 2.9%, and undernourishment at 13.7%.
Notably, the report shows that global progress in curbing hunger has been stagnant since 2016.
This makes achieving the United Nations's Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030 increasingly unlikely.
Of the 127 countries analyzed, 42 suffer from either "alarming" or "serious" levels of hunger.