In this file photo dated April 18, 2013, an Indian caretaker watches over malnourished children during lunch consisting of a special supplementary diet at the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) of Apnalaya – an Indian NGO providing nutritious free meals to children of manual scavengers and labourers from nearby slums at Govandi on the outskirts of Mumbai. (INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP)
NEW DELHI – India ranked 107 out of about 120 countries and regions in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2022, according to the latest GHI report.
The South Asian country has slipped from last year's ranking of 101, to be placed behind its neighbors Sri Lanka (64), Myanmar (71), Nepal (81), Bangladesh (84) and Pakistan (99).
The GHI score is calculated on four indicators, undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting and the mortality rate of children under the age of five
With the new ranking, only 14 countries or regions fared worse than India this year.
The recently-released report has been prepared jointly by the Irish aid agency Concern Worldwide and the German organization Welthungerhilfe.
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India's GHI score has also improved from 38.8 in 2000 to the range of 28.2-29.1 between 2014 and 2022.
The GHI score is calculated on four indicators, undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting and the mortality rate of children under the age of five.
Child wasting refers to the share of children under the age of five who have low weight for their height as a result of acute undernutrition. Child stunting measures the proportion of children under the age of five who have low height for their age due to the impact of chronic undernutrition.
According to the report, 17 countries shared the top rank with GHI score of less than 5.
According to GHI which tracks hunger and malnutrition, the level of hunger in India is "serious".
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