Pakistan ranks better than India on Global Hunger Index 2021

• India ranks poorly on Global Hunger Index 2021.
• While Pakistan ranks better than India, the level of malnutrition is still being labelled as serious.
• The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger.

LAHORE: Pakistan’s ranking has improved while neighbouring India performed poorly on the Global Hunger Index 2021, according to a report published in The News Saturday.

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and national levels. It is a peer-reviewed annual report, jointly published by the Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.

Although Pakistan’s ranking has improved, the level of malnutrition is still being labelled as serious. The country ranked 92nd out of 116 with a score of 24.7, which indicated a serious level of hunger.

Except for India, the ranking of Pakistan is lower than all other countries of South Asia and other neighbouring countries.

India ranked 101 out of the 116 countries with a score of 27.5, while the level of hunger is labelled as serious. Bangladesh, however, stood at number 76 position with a score of 19.1, showing the level of moderate hunger.

In the 2021 Global Hunger Index, Nepal ranked 76th with a score of 19.1, it has a moderate level of hunger while Sri Lanka placed at 65th position with a score of 16.0, showing a moderate level of hunger.

Neighbouring Afghanistan ranked 103rd with a score of 28.3, showing a serious level of hunger.

In the 2021 Global Hunger Index, Iran’s position has been recorded at the 35th number with a score of 7.7, showing a low level of hunger.

Similarly, China is one of 18 countries with a GHI score of less than 5. These countries are not assigned individual ranks, but rather are collectively ranked 1–18 out of the 116 countries to calculate 2021 GHI scores.

Differences between their scores are minimal. With a score of under 5, China has a level of hunger that is low.

Region-wise, South Asian and African countries are the areas where hunger levels are highest.

South Asia’s high regional hunger level is driven largely by child undernutrition, particularly as measured by child wasting. At 14.7%, South Asia’s child wasting rate as of 2020 is the highest of any world region.

South Asia’s child stunting rate, at 31.8%, is nearly as high as that of Africa, South of the Sahara.

More than half of the children in the world who experience wasting and more than one-third of the children who experience stunting are located in South Asia.