In this article, I wanna walk you through Global Hunger Index for UPSC IAS.
Global Hunger Index
- The Global Hunger Index aims to track hunger at the world, regional, and country-level. It is an annual report (peer-reviewed) published by Concern Worldwide of Ireland and Welthungerhilfe (a German non-profit organization).
- It was first produced in 2006.
- High-income countries are not included in the GHI.
- Calculation: The GHI scores are calculated each year to assess progress and setbacks in combating hunger. It is calculated on the basis of four indicators:
- Undernourishment: Share of the population with insufficient caloric intake.
- Child Wasting: Share of children under age five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition.
- Child Stunting: Share of children under age five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition.
- Child Mortality: The mortality rate of children under the age of five.
- Scoring:
- Based on the values of the four indicators, the GHI determines hunger on a 100-point scale where 0 is the best possible score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst.
- Each country’s GHI score is classified by severity, from low to extremely alarming.
- GHI Severity Scale
- Countries where hunger is low (GHI ≤9.9)
- Countries where hunger is moderate (GHI = 10.0–19.9)
- Countries where hunger is serious (GHI = 20.0–34.9)
- Countries where hunger is alarming (GHI = 35.0–49.9)
- Countries where hunger is extremely alarming (GHI ≥50.0)
Global Hunger Index – India’s Rank
India has been ranked at 94 among 107 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2020.
| 2020 GHI | 94 out of 107 |
| 2019 GHI | 102 out of 117 |
| 2018 GHI | 103 out of 119 |
India’s Performance in GHI 2020
- Overall Performance:
- With a score of 27.2, India has a level of hunger that is “serious”.
- It ranks 94 out of 107 countries in the Index. In 2019, India’s rank was 102 out of 117 countries.
- Comparison with Other Countries:
- India features behind Nepal (73), Pakistan (88), Bangladesh (75), Indonesia (70) among others.
- Out of the total 107 countries, only 13 countries fare worse than India including countries like Rwanda (97), Nigeria (98), Afghanistan (99), Liberia (102), Mozambique (103), Chad (107) among others.
- Performance on the Indicators:
- Undernourishment: 14% of India’s population is undernourished (2017-19). It was 16.3% during 2011-13.
- Child Wasting: 17.3% (2015-19), it was 15.1% in 2010-14.
- Child Stunting: 34.7%, it has improved significantly, from 54% in 2000 to less than 35% now.
- Child Mortality: 3.7%, it was 5.2% in 2012.