Appalling yet true, India was ranked 97 in the list 118 developing countries, in the Global Hunger Ranking 2016.
-As per the latest Global Hunger Index (GHI), calculated by the International Food Policy Research Institute, of the 131 countries studied and data made available for 118, India was ranked at 97.
-The GHI is calculated by taking into account 4 key parameters: shares of undernourished population, wasted and stunted children aged under 5, and infant mortality rate of the same age group.
-Wasting refers to low weight in relation to a child’s height, reflecting acute under-nutrition. Stunting refers to the deficiency in height in relation to age, reflecting chronic under-nutrition.
-Surprisingly, India’s neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and China, are all ranked above our country.
-Countries of South Africa such as Niger, Chad, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone and India’s immediate neighbors Afghanistan and Pakistan are ranked below India.
-Of the total number, 15% of the share is parked by the under-5 wasted children whereas a total of 39% accounts for the stunted children.
-The statistics also suggest that close to 15% of the Indian population is undernourished and lacks adequate food in quantity and quality both.
Source: Global Hunger Index 2016