Global Hunger Index
Also called: GHI · Topic: Agricultural Marketing, MSP, Buffer Stocks and PDS · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is an annual ranking of countries by their level of hunger. It combines four indicators:
- Undernourishment: not getting enough calories.
- Child stunting: children too short for their age.
- Child wasting: children too thin for their height.
- Under-5 mortality: children dying before age five.
It is released every October and is often cited in debates on India's nutrition record.
Example
In 2024, India ranked 105th of 127 countries, in the "serious" category. The government contests the method, arguing that child indicators and a small survey sample do not fairly show hunger across the whole population.
Don't confuse with
- NFHS (National Family Health Survey): NFHS is India's own household survey of health and nutrition. It reports, for example, anaemia in 57% of women aged 15-49 in 2019-21. It is a data source, not a country ranking.
Related concepts
- Public distribution system
- Fair price shop
- Central issue price
- Targeted PDS
- Universal PDS
- Leakages in PDS
- Ration card portability
- Food security
- Nutrition security
- Hidden hunger