Global Hunger Index (GHI) – Why is India still grappling with Hunger?

Dr Nageswara Rao, Joint Director, CYDA

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a peer-reviewed annual report published by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide. In 2024, the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, joined as an academic partner responsible for calculating and developing the Index going forward.

The GHI comprehensively tracks hunger at global, regional, and national levels, capturing its multidimensional nature over time. The report raises awareness, fosters a deeper understanding of the fight against hunger, enables cross-country and regional comparisons, and identifies areas requiring urgent action where hunger remains most severe.

Each country’s GHI score is calculated using a formula that combines four indicators that reflect hunger’s multidimensional nature.

1. Undernourishment: Refers to a condition in which an individual’s habitual food intake is insufficient to meet dietary energy requirements for a normal, active, and healthy life. This indicator measures the proportion of the population with inadequate caloric intake and serves as a lead indicator for international hunger targets, including Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). This indicator is given a 1/3rd weightage when calculating the GHI ranking.

• Child stunting: Measures the proportion of children under five years of age who have low height-for-age, indicating chronic malnutrition. This indicator reflects children’s particular vulnerability to nutritional deficiencies. It is used as a nutrition indicator for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). This indicator is given a 1/6 weightage when calculating the country’s GHI ranking.

• Child wasting: Measures the proportion of children under five years of age who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition. This indicator is also used as a nutrition indicator for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). 1/6^th weightage is given to this indicator while calculating the GHI ranking of the country

• Child mortality: Measures the proportion of children who die before reaching the age of five, often due to inadequate nutrition and unhealthy living conditions. This indicator reflects that death is the most serious consequence of hunger, and children are the most vulnerable. This indicator is given a 1/3 weightage when calculating the GHI ranking.

Global Hunger Index and the status of India:

India’s 2025 Global Hunger Index (GHI) score is 25.8, classified as “serious” on the GHI Severity Scale. This represents an improvement from the 2016 score of 29.3 (also serious) and substantial progress compared to the 2000 score of 38.1 (“alarming”) and 2008 score of 34.6 (“serious”). India ranks 102nd out of 123 countries in the 2025 report.

India has the second-highest child wasting rate globally at 18.7%, alongside a child stunting rate of 32.9%, a prevalence of undernourishment of 12.0%, and an under-five mortality rate of 2.8%.

While under-five child mortality has improved markedly since 2000, child wasting remains critically high (second globally). Stunting—though reduced since 2000—ranks 21st highest worldwide and signals major public health concerns. Undernourishment has improved overall since 2000 but rose slightly from 2016 to 2021 before declining recently.

However, India’s ranking of 102nd out of 123 countries is alarming and demands urgent attention and action from national and state leadership. Our neighbouring nations, Bangladesh (85th rank), Nepal (72nd rank), and Sri Lanka (61st rank), ranked higher than India in the GHI.

India, a $4.3 trillion economy- Still fighting Hunger and Poverty:

India, a $4.3 trillion economy and the world’s fourth-largest and fastest-growing major economy, paradoxically grapples with persistent hunger and poverty. As a leading producer of rice, wheat, milk, and sugarcane—and the second-largest food producer globally by caloric content—the nation ranks 102nd out of 123 countries in the 2025 Global Hunger Index, with hunger levels classified as “serious.” With a population of 1.47 billion, India accounts for one-quarter of the world’s undernourished people, harboring over 190 million who face hunger. This crisis stems not from food scarcity but from interconnected social, economic, and infrastructural failures—including unequal access, flawed distribution systems, and deep-rooted poverty that leaves millions hungry each night despite abundant production. The main reasons contributing to this issue are:

1. Poverty and Unemployment: The immediate cause of hunger is poverty. With the inability of households to earn a consistent income, the purchase of adequate, nutritious food is a daily struggle. According to the recent findings of the World Bank’s Poverty and Equity Brief, approximately 28.1% to 33% of India’s population continues to earn or live on less than roughly ₹100 per day. With rising inflation and job insecurity, the majority of households are constrained to survival as opposed to nutrition, resulting in undernourished adults and malnourished children
2. Wastage of Food and Inefficiencies in Distribution: Paradoxically, India loses almost 40% of the food it produces annually (according to the Food Corporation of India). While there are millions who go hungry, huge quantities of grains, fruits, and vegetables go to waste because of inadequate storage, transportation, and infrastructure. The public distribution system (PDS) is failing to deliver to remote or marginalised communities even today.
3. Malnourishment and Ignorance: Even with available food, limited nutritional awareness leads to unbalanced or inadequate diets. Many households rely on calorie-dense but nutrient-poor options, resulting in chronic undernutrition, especially among children and pregnant women. According to NFHS-5, over 35% of children under five years of age are underweight, and nearly 67% suffer from anaemia, underscoring widespread nutritional gaps
4. Inefficient Public Distribution System (PDS): India’s PDS grapples with high leakages (28% diverted to open markets), identification errors (20% exclusion of eligible households), and poor storage causing wastage. Corruption thrives at fair price shops, while limited food diversity fuels nutritional insecurity, compounded by biometric authentication glitches. These flaws divert funds and supplies through corrupt supply chain practices and lead to losses from pilferage or mismanagement. Exclusion errors omit deserving remote, tribal, or disadvantaged beneficiaries due to outdated data, bureaucracy, local favoritism, blocking aid to the truly vulnerable.

Urgent need for political commitment

1. In 2018, when POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched, the government had set a target to reduce stunting among children in India by at least 2% points each year. In 2016, 38.4% of children under five were stunted in India. As per this plan, the share should have fallen to 26.4% by 2022. During the launch, however, the government had set an even more ambitious target — to bring stunting down to 25% by 2022 — a goal it called ‘Mission 25 by 2022’. Seven years after the launch, Poshan Tracker data for June 2025 showed that 37% of children under five in India were stunted — barely 1% point lower than in 2016
2. Malnutrition (among children and women) is not an apolitical issue; addressing it requires careful consideration of the political economy and the creation of an enabling environment. Political commitment to reducing malnutrition is reflected both in the resources allocated to this cause and in the strength of inter-sectoral and intergovernmental coordination and partnerships. Public expenditure on key nutrition-related areas serves as an important macro-level indicator of such commitment and policy priority.
3. India’s public health expenditure remains among the lowest globally, significantly trailing comparable developing nations. Countries like Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia spend several times more per capita on health, while India’s per capita spending lags even among BRICS peers. During COVID-19, health spending as a share of GDP rose temporarily—driven mainly by states—but Union allocations did not sustain this momentum. As per the RBI data, Union health expenditure fell from 0.37% of GDP in 2020-21 to 0.29% in 2025-26 (Budget Estimates), with real 2025-26 allocations 4.7% below 2020-21 actuals after inflation adjustment.
4.  The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG-2) aims to eradicate hunger and ensure food security and improved nutrition by 2030. The Food Fortification Resource Centre of FSSAI highlights that India faces a significant burden of micronutrient deficiencies, leading to widespread “hidden hunger” among its population. Fortification is essential for combating micronutrient deficiencies. Although schemes for fortifying salt, cereals, milk, and edible oils are already in place, stronger government mandates and enforcement for specific food categories are needed to ensure widespread adoption by mass producers. Public-private partnerships and awareness campaigns can help drive the success of fortification initiatives.

An Egg can change the story:

In Anganwadi and Mid-Day Meal programs, eggs bridge “hidden hunger” gaps affordably, outperforming other animal-source foods in low-resource settings and supporting India’s progress on the Global Hunger Index.

Eggs are a nutrient-dense, affordable “superfood” essential for combating stunting and wasting in India. They deliver high-quality protein with all essential amino acids, key fats, and 13 micronutrients (vitamin A, B12, selenium, iron, choline, zinc)—highly bioavailable compared to plant sources—to drive growth, cognition, motor skills, and malnutrition recovery. Daily egg consumption (one egg for infants) significantly reduces the prevalence of stunting and underweight, enhances linear growth, and improves dietary diversity during the critical first 1,000 days.

Issues surrounding Egg consumption in India:

1. Cultural and Religious Resistance: Several Indian states oppose eggs in midday meals due to cultural, religious, and vegetarian sentiments. Certain Communities and religious groups view eggs as non-vegetarian, sparking protests from parents and religious leaders. Certain Northern states (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh) prioritise vegetarian alternatives such as bananas, milk, and pulses, where vegetarianism prevails (39-43% in some areas). Parental complaints often trigger policy reversals, as seen in Dakshina Kannada schools switching to bananas.
2. Southern States lead: Tamil Nadu provides daily eggs (7/week), Andhra Pradesh 5/week, Telangana 3/week schools + 7/week Anganwadis, Karnataka commits to 6 days/week (2025 budget), and West Bengal offers 3 regular + extra eggs twice weekly through March 2026.
3. Eastern States: Odisha (2 school/5 Anganwadi), Jharkhand (3/week both), Tripura (2/1) maintain consistent supply.
4. Northern Rejection: Gujarat, UP, MP, Rajasthan, and Haryana provide zero eggs despite high stunting rates. Maharashtra piloted 1 egg/week but cut funding in 2025. Bihar and Kerala offer a minimum of 1 egg/week.
5. Cultural Holdouts: Punjab, Delhi, and north-eastern tribal states (Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim) exclude eggs despite protein needs.

Southern states average 4.5 eggs/week vs. northern states’ 0.3, despite eggs’ superior protein bioavailability (94% vs. pulses’ 76%). Courts occasionally intervene, ruling protein-rich foods shouldn’t be denied, highlighting the clash between evidence-based nutrition and cultural preferences—directly impacting India’s Global Hunger Index ranking.

References:

1. Gillespie, S et al (2013): “The Politics of Reducing Malnutrition: Building Commitment and Accelerating Progress,” Lancet, Vol 382
2. Dobe, M. J. (2015): “Viewpoint: The Role of Sanitation in Malnutrition—A Science and Policy Controversy in India,” Journal of Public Health Policy, Vol 36
3. The Hindu(21. Aug.2025): The complex web of factors behind India’s persistent stunting crisis
4. Saksham Foundation ( July 05, 2025): Hunger in India- The crisis of Malnutrition, Poverty and inequality
5. World Bank’s Poverty and Equity Brief (April 2025)
6. National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) report
7. Lee Ying Shan ( 2024)- Hunger is India’s ‘biggest problem’ — one of the world’s largest food producers leaves millions hungry
8. Elisabeth A Larson, et al ( 2024)–  Egg consumption and growth in children: a meta-analysis of interventional trials
9. Shobha Suri ( 2021): Caught in Controversy, Superfood Eggs Can Help India Fight Stunting, Malnutrition