Index has been released by Irish humanitarian organization Concern Worldwide and German aid agency Welthungerhilfe.
Key findings of report About India:
- India ranks 105th out of 127th countries, falling under "serious" category with 41 other nations, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.
- India’s GHI score has fallen since 2000, however, child wasting and stunting remain very high.
- Maternal malnutrition perpetuates child under nutrition in India, creating an intergenerational cycle of poor nutritional status.
About global hunger index (GHI):
- GHI is a tool designed to measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels.
- Each country’s GHI score is calculated based on a formula (See image) that combines four indicators:
- Undernourishment (Insufficient caloric intake); Child stunting (Children with low height under age 5); Child wasting: (Children with low weight for their height under age 5); Child mortality: (Children who die before their fifth birthday).
Key issues of GHI
- Methodology: Three out of four indicators used for calculation of index are related to health of Children and cannot be representative of entire population.
- Faulty indicator: Studies challenge use of stunting as an indicator of undernutrition, showing it occurs in well-nourished populations as well.
- Outdated data set: Like National Family Health Surveys data which lacks annual updates for key indicators.
