Global Hunger Index 2024: India belongs to the ‘serious’ category, comparable to Pakistan and Afghanistan | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: India will be ranked 105th out of 127 countries in 2024 Global Hunger Index released on Saturday. It is one of 42 countries classified as ‘severe’ in terms of hunger levels, alongside Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“With a score of 27.3 on the 2024 Global Hunger Index, India has a hunger level that is severe,” the report said.
The report, which was rejected by India last year, found that more than 35.5% of children under the age of five in the country are stunted and nearly 18.7% under the age of five are neglected. Meanwhile, more than 13.7% of the population is malnourished.
In contrast, South Asian neighbors such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka have achieved better GHI scores, placing them in the ‘moderate’ category.
Last year, India ranked 111th out of 125 countries. However, the rankings between different editions of the report cannot be directly compared. The improved GHI score can be attributed to a slightly lower infant mortality rate, as well as a reduction in the prevalence of infant mortality malnutritionAccording to the new data, the report said.

Does higher GDP mean lower levels of hunger?

Responding to the question of how increased GDP does not guarantee lower hunger levels, the report said India’s GDP growth fell significantly during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although per capita energy supply has increased slightly in recent years, this progress is undermined by greater calorie losses in retail sales, rising dietary energy needs and greater inequality in calorie intake.
As a result, the prevalence of malnutrition in India increased from 2017 to 2019 to 2020 to 2022, although there has been a slight improvement since then.