• The Global Hunger Index 2023 was released recently by Irish NGO Concern Worldwide and German NGO Welt Hunger Hilfe.
• It is a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger at global, regional, and national levels.
• It is based on four indicators that together capture the multidimensional nature of hunger–
  • Undernourishment: The share of the population whose caloric intake is insufficient;
  • Child Stunting– The share of children under the age of five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition;
  • Child Wasting- The share of children under the age of five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition; and
  • Child Mortality– The share of children who die before their fifth birthday, reflecting in part the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments.

INDIA RELATED FINDINGS

• India with a score of 28.7 was ranked 111^th of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023.
  • In 2022, India ranked 107th out of 121.
• Child stunting is prevalent at 35.5%.
• Highest child wasting rate in the world at 18.7%.
• The prevalence of undernourishment in India is 6%.
• The under-five mortality rate stands at 3.1%.

OTHER FINDINGS

• The GHI ranked Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka at 102nd, 81st, 69th, and 60th, respectively.
• South Asia and Africa south of the Sahara recorded the highest regional hunger levels, both with a GHI score of 27.

CRITICISM BY MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

• 3 out of 4 indicators of GHI are related to health of children and cannot be representative of entire population.
• 4^th indicator (Undernourishment) is based on telephone-based opinion poll conducted on a very small sample size of 3000.