India ranks 100th in Global Hunger Index, remains in ‘serious’ hunger category

With 9.8 per cent of its population undernourished and 29.3 per cent of children under five stunted, India ranks 100th among 122 countries in the 2026 Global Hunger Index (GHI), while Sri Lanka (53rd), Nepal (72nd) and Bangladesh (84th) fare better, and Pakistan (106th) and Afghanistan (108th) rank lower.

India’s score of 24.1 places it in the ‘serious’ hunger category, highlighting persistent challenges in tackling malnutrition.

The index, jointly published by German aid agency Welthungerhilfe and Irish organisation Concern Worldwide, with partner institutions, measures hunger through four indicators: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and under-five mortality.

India’s child wasting rate has risen to 19 per cent, the highest in South Asia, compared with 16.9 per cent in the previous reference period. Meanwhile, the country’s progress in reducing hunger has slowed, as its score improved by only 1.7 points between 2018 and 2026, against an 8.2-point improvement between 2006 and 2012.

South Asia recorded a GHI score of 23.5, while its child wasting rate of 15.8 per cent remained the highest among the world’s regions. The report says that although progress has stagnated in several countries, Nepal has made remarkable advances, and Bangladesh and India have also shown improvement.

The report identifies armed conflicts, rising food prices, climate change and declining international aid as major drivers of food insecurity. Russia’s war against Ukraine and conflict involving Iran have disrupted global trade, while higher food prices may force vulnerable households to buy less nutritious food or skip meals.

It also warns that an intensifying El Niño could contribute to a deficient 2026 monsoon, citing an India Meteorological Department forecast of a 60 per cent probability of below-normal rainfall across the Monsoon Core Zone, which covers much of India’s rainfed farmland.