Global Hunger Index

Why is in news? Measurement of over 7 Crore children shows wasting at about one-third of that used in Global Hunger Index

India has been ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index-2023, a stark decline from its 107th position in 2022.

The index highlights a concerning statistic – India reports the world’s highest child wasting rate at a staggering 18.7 percent.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development yet again questioned the GHI and called it a “flawed measure of hunger that doesn’t reflect India’s true position”.

It said that data recorded on its Poshan Tracker portal showed child wasting prevalence of 7.2% among a total of 7.24 crore under-five-year-olds whose data was captured, whereas the GHI used a value of 18.7% for child wasting. The latter, however, comes from the National Family Health Survey 5, which is reported in the global repository, set up to ensure harmonised child nutrition estimates.

Findings:

India’s score of 28.7 in the Global Hunger Index-2023 places it in the “serious” category, according to the report.

India’s child wasting rate stands at an alarming 18.7 percent, signaling acute undernutrition.

The rate of undernourishment in India is reported at 16.6 percent, further highlighting the gravity of the issue.

Under-five mortality in India is recorded at 3.1 percent.

The report underscores a significant concern, with 58.1 percent of women aged 15 to 24 in India being affected by anaemia.

India’s neighbouring countries, including Pakistan (102nd), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th), and Sri Lanka (60th), have performed comparatively better in the index.

Afghanistan, Haiti and 12 sub-Saharan countries performed worse than India on the GHI.

About:

It is jointly published annually by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.

It measures hunger on a 100-point scale, with 0 as the best (no hunger) and 100 as the worst score.

It comprehensively measures and tracks hunger globally, regionally, and at the country level.

It aims to trigger action to reduce hunger worldwide.

4 key indicators:

Undernourishment (reflects inadequate food availability): Share of the population that is undernourished.

Child Wasting (reflects acute undernutrition): Share of children under five with low weight for their height.

Child Stunting (reflects chronic undernutrition): Share of children under five with low height for their age.

Child Mortality (reflects inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environment): Mortality rate of children under five.