Global Hunger Index 2024 Lists India In Serious Category
Photo credit Odisha Millet Mission (The Ministry of Women and Child Development celebrated the fifth ‘Poshan Pakhwada' from 20th March to 3rd April 2023 with various activities nationwide. This initiative aims to raise awareness on malnutrition and promote healthy eating habits)
India Faces Stiff Challenges To Fight Hunger
By Pradeep Kumar Panda
Bhubaneswar, October 11: India ranks 105 in the Global Hunger Index 2024 Report. India is projected to be in the ‘serious hunger category’ as per the report.
As per the report, India ranks 105 in the Index. This rank is abysmally low. India is placed in serious category.
India’s score is 27.3 in the Global Hunger Index 2024 Report. India is placed in the ‘serious’ hunger category.
This is a slight improvement from a score of 29.3 in 2016. But the progress is slow given the scale of hunger challenges.
In India, 18.7% of children suffer from child wasting (low weight for height), which is the highest rate globally. This shows little improvement over the years.
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Also, 16.5% of India’s population is undernourished, indicating insufficient caloric intake. This is a slight improvement. But it still represents a large segment of the population.
Also, 35.5% of children under five in India are stunted (low height for age), reflecting chronic malnutrition. Although this figure has improved, it remains high.
India’s child mortality rate is 3.1%, meaning three out of 100 children do not survive until age five. This rate contributes significantly to India’s overall GHI score.
While there has been a slight improvement in India’s hunger situation compared to last year, critical issues like child wasting and undernourishment show no significant decline. This is despite the fact that the Niti Aayog had launched Mission Nutrition several years ago.
India’s hunger levels reflect the broader South Asia region. The South Asia is facing serious hunger issue. The hunger is also driven by poor diet quality, economic challenges, and natural disasters.
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Maternal malnutrition plays a significant role in India’s child undernutrition, leading to an intergenerational cycle of malnutrition. The Mission Nutrition of the Government of India aims to boost maternal health. The government is also expanding the coverage of fortified rice to deal with the issue of hunger.
Despite food security and nutrition programs, India’s rate of improvement is insufficient to meet the Zero Hunger by 2030 SDG target.
The report calls for urgent interventions to address high levels of child wasting and stunting in India, emphasizing the need for inclusive, multi-sectoral approaches to improve nutrition outcomes.
This is the nineteenth annual publication of the Global Hunger Index (GHI), a report jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.
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