India falls below Pakistan in Global Hunger Index; 111th in 125 countries!

India has fallen to 111th position in the World Hunger Index. In 2022, India was ranked 107th. India rejects data and methodology.

In the Global Hunger Index 2023, India has seen a big decline and India is at the 111th position in the list of 125 countries. Therefore, the issues of malnutrition, hunger, poverty, unemployment in India have once again come to the fore.

India has scored 28.7 in the required data for this index and based on that, it is concluded that there is a dire situation of hunger in India. However, while on one hand this index is being calculated globally, on the other hand, India has rejected it saying that the figures in this index are wrong.

What does the World Hunger Index say? According to this index, India has also fallen below Pakistan. According to the list, Pakistan is at 102nd position, Bangladesh at 81st position and Nepal at 69th position.

On the one hand, India’s position has dropped much lower compared to its neighboring countries in Asia, on the other hand, it is clear from the list that India’s ranking is better than the countries in South Asia and Africa. These countries scored an average of 27 each.

Meanwhile, according to this index, the rate of malnutrition in India is as high as 16.6 percent and the under-five mortality rate is recorded as 3.1 percent. In the index which is calculated on the basis of the decrease in the expected weight of children in proportion to their height, the rate of malnutrition in India has been recorded at 18.7 percent. Indian Express has given a detailed news in this regard.

Government of India rejects the statistics, methodology

Meanwhile, while the World Hunger Index has expressed concern about the state of malnutrition in India, on the other hand, India has dismissed the data as incorrect. The Union Women and Child Welfare Department has taken the stand that the wrong method was used while determining this index.

“An incorrect method of measuring hunger was used in determining this index. There are serious errors in methodology. Three of the four criteria set for the index relate to the health of gay children. Therefore, they may not be representative of the entire population. Only one opinion poll has been considered for the fourth criterion, the proportion of undernourished population. Moreover, this poll has been conducted on the answers of only 3 thousand people”, said the Women and Child Welfare Department.