India has slipped to 102nd position in the Global Hunger Index 2019 of 117 countries, slipping from its 2018 rank of 95 and behind neighbours Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Seventeen countries, including Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Cuba and Kuwait, shared the top rank with GHI scores of less than five, an official release said on October 15.

The Central African Republic has the highest 2019 GHI score in this report (53.6) and is the only country that falls into the extremely alarming category.

The GHI indicates that the level of hunger and undernutrition worldwide falls on the cusp of the moderate and serious categories, at a value of 20. This value reflects a decline in the global GHI score in each period examined since 2000, when the global GHI score was 29 and fell into the serious category. It coincides with a decline in poverty at the global level from 28.6 per ent in 1999 to 9.9 per cent in 2015.

How is the GHI calculated?

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional and national levels. GHI scores are calculated each year to assess progress and setbacks in combating hunger. The GHI is designed to raise awareness and understanding of the struggle against hunger, provide a way to compare levels of hunger between countries and regions and call attention to those areas of the world where hunger levels are highest and where the need for additional efforts to eliminate hunger is greatest.

For each country, values are determined for four indicators…

Undernourishment: The share of the population that is undernourished (that is, whose caloric intake is insufficient).

Child wasting: The share of children under the age of five who are wasted (that is, who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition).

Child stunting: The share of children under the age of five who are stunted (that is, who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition).

Child mortality: The mortality rate of children under the age of five (in part, a reflection of the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments).

GHI scores are calculated on a 100-point GHI Severity Scale, where 0 is the best score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst.

What is the global scenario?

The reduction in GHI scores at the global scale brings into sharper focus the many challenges that remain in the fight against hunger and undernutrition.

Extreme climatic events, violent conflicts, wars and economic slowdowns and crises continue to drive hunger in many parts of the world. Inequalities within country borders allow hunger and undernutrition to persist even in countries that appear to do well according to national averages.

The prevalence of undernourishment - the percentage of the population without regular access to adequate calories - has stagnated since 2015, and the number of people who are hungry has actually risen to 822 million from 785 million in 2015.

At the regional level, South Asia and Africa South of the Sahara have the highest 2019 GHI scores in the world, at 29.3 and 28.4, respectively.

The four countries with alarming levels of hunger are Chad, Madagascar, Yemen and Zambia. Forty-three countries out of 117 countries that were ranked have serious levels of hunger.

Child wasting rate very high in India

In 2000, India was ranked 83 out of 113 countries. Now, with 117 countries in the fray, it has dropped to 102 rank.

Because of its large population, India’s GHI indicator values have an outsized impact on the indicator values for the region. India’s child wasting rate is extremely high at 20.8 per cent - the highest wasting rate of any country for which data were available. Its child stunting rate, 37.9 per cent, is also categorised as very high in terms of its public health significance.

In India, just 9.6 per cent of all children between 6 and 23 months of age are fed a minimum acceptable diet. As of 2015-16, 90 per cent of Indian households used an improved drinking water source while 39 per cent of households had no sanitation facilities.

The report also mentions Swachh Bharat programme, saying open defecation is still being practised. “Even with new latrine construction, open defecation is still practised. This situation jeopardises the population’s health and consequently, children’s growth and development as their ability to absorb nutrients is compromised,” the report said.

The way ahead

It is reasonable to view the progress made globally in reducing hunger and undernutrition over almost 20 years and find grounds to believe that the world can and will continue to make progress in the quest to eliminate these maladies.

Good governance, smart investments and solid sustained programming show results and protect human rights, prosperity and equality.

However, the number of undernourished people in the world is increasing. Extreme weather events are jeopardising food production and food security and are only expected to increase in number and severity in conjunction with global climate change. Too many countries are in the midst of violent conflicts that have precipitously increased their hunger levels.

Inequalities in child nutrition at the subnational level and ongoing food insecurity even in high-income countries provide a dose of realism.