India Ranks 105th In Global Hunger Index 2024
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is an annual report measuring hunger and malnutrition levels in countries worldwide. It was created by two organizations, Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, to show how serious hunger is in different countries and help find ways to reduce it. The index uses a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 means no hunger and 100 means extreme hunger.
In the 2024 report, India ranks 105th out of 127 countries, with a score of 27.3. This score places India in the category of countries facing “serious” levels of hunger.
Top 10 Performers in 2024
| Country | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Belarus | 1 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2 |
| Chile | 3 |
| China | 4 |
| Costa Rica | 5 |
| Croatia | 6 |
| Estonia | 7 |
| Georgia | 8 |
| Hungary | 9 |
| Kuwait | 10 |
Key Indicators Used in the GHI
The GHI score is based on four main indicators:
Undernourishment: This measures the percentage of people in a country who don’t get enough calories from the food they eat.
Child Stunting: This measures how many children under the age of five are too short for their age. It shows that these children haven’t received proper nutrition over a long period.
Child Wasting: This looks at the percentage of children under five who are too thin for their height. It is a sign of very serious, short-term malnutrition.
Child Mortality: This measures how many children die before the age of five, often because of poor nutrition and healthcare.
India’s Hunger Situation
According to the 2024 GHI report, hunger is still a major problem in India. The report highlights the following issues:
- 7% of India’s population does not get enough to eat.
- 5% of children under five are stunted, meaning they are not growing properly because of chronic malnutrition.
- 7% of children under five are wasting, showing signs of severe, short-term malnutrition.
- 9% of children die before their fifth birthday, often due to malnutrition and related health issues.
Hunger Around the World
Globally, more than 733 million people go hungry every day, and 2.8 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. Hunger is particularly severe in regions affected by conflict, such as Gaza and Sudan, where food crises are made worse by war and instability.
The Need for Solutions
The 2024 GHI report emphasizes that the world needs to make significant progress to meet the United Nations’ goal of ending hunger by 2030 (known as Zero Hunger). Without stronger action, millions of people will continue to suffer from hunger and malnutrition.
About the GHI
The GHI has been published every year since 2006 by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). It helps track trends over time and shows which countries are making progress and which are falling behind in reducing hunger. For example, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, like Madagascar and Chad, tend to have some of the highest hunger levels, while countries like Belarus and Turkey score better and face lower hunger rates. The GHI also highlights how hunger is closely linked to inequality—people in poorer and more unequal societies often suffer more from hunger.
The 2024 GHI shows that hunger remains a big challenge in India and around the world, and urgent action is needed to reduce hunger and improve nutrition for everyone.
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Month: Current Affairs - October, 2024
Category: Reports & Indexes Current Affairs