NEW DELHI, Oct 13 — India ranks 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2023.
The Index co-published on Thursday by Irish humanitarian agency Concern Worldwide and German aid organisation Welthungerhilfe, looked at factors such as undernourishment, child wasting as well as stunting and mortality among children to study the nature of hunger around the world.
“With a score of 28.7 in the 2023 Global Hunger Index, India has a level of hunger that is serious,” the report said.
On a scale of 100 points, zero is the best score and 100 the worst.
The report highlights that India’s child wasting rate at 18.7 per cent is the highest of any country, and its child stunting rate at 35.5 per cent is the 15th highest.
Child wasting takes into account the number of children under the age of five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition, whereas child stunting refers to the share of children who have low height for their age.
India’s neighbours fared better in the annual study.
Sri Lanka ranks 60th and has a score of 13.3, while Bangladesh’s ranking is 81st with a score of 19.
Nepal ranks 69th with a score of 15.
The level of hunger is in the moderate category in the three countries.
Pakistan’s hunger level is serious, with the ranking of 102 and the score being 26.6.
China, the world’s second most populous country, is one of the 20 countries with the lowest hunger levels and a score of less than five.
