India has been ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023. The government of India has criticized this ranking, referring to it as an “erroneous measure of hunger” with “malafide intent.” The GHI 2023 reported that India has a score of 28.7, indicating a serious level of hunger. While the government disputes the findings, it’s important to note that the GHI has long been a critical tool for assessing hunger at the global level, using specific indicators and methodologies.
India’s Global Hunger Index Ranking
In the GHI 2023, India’s ranking is 111th, with a score of 28.7, placing it below neighboring countries like Pakistan (102nd), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th), and Sri Lanka (60th). However, India fared better than the South Asia and Africa South of the Sahara regions, both of which recorded a GHI score of 27.
Key Findings in the GHI 2023 Report
The GHI 2023 report highlights several concerning statistics related to India:
- Undernourishment: The rate of undernourishment in India is reported at 16.6 percent.
- Under-Five Mortality: The under-five mortality rate in India is 3.1 percent.
- Anemia Prevalence: The prevalence of anemia among women aged 15 to 24 years is as high as 58.1 percent.
- Child Wasting: India is reported to have the highest child wasting rate globally, with 18.7 percent, reflecting acute undernutrition.
Government’s Response to the GHI Ranking
The Indian government, specifically the Women and Child Development Ministry, has rejected the GHI ranking, stating that the index is a flawed measure of “hunger” and is based on methodological issues with malafide intent.
The government has argued that three of the four indicators used for the GHI calculation are related to the health of children and do not represent the entire population. It emphasizes that the fourth and most crucial indicator, “Proportion of Undernourished (PoU) population,” is based on a small sample size of 3,000 respondents.
The ministry also pointed out that data uploaded on the Poshan Tracker has consistently shown an increase in the measurement of children under five years, contradicting the high child wasting rate reported in the GHI 2023.
Furthermore, the government contends that two GHI indicators, stunting and wasting, result from complex interactions of various factors beyond hunger, such as sanitation, genetics, environment, and food intake utilization. It also questions the assumption that child mortality is solely an outcome of hunger.
