India

≤ 9.9
low10.0–19.9
moderate20.0–34.9
serious35.0–49.9
alarming≥ 50.0
extremely alarming

In the 2023 Global Hunger Index, India ranks 111^th out of the 125 countries with sufficient data to calculate 2023 GHI scores. With a score of 28.7 in the 2023 Global Hunger Index, India has a level of hunger that is serious.

It is important to note that GHI scores, rankings, and indicator values are comparable only within each year’s report, not between different years’ reports, owing to revisions of the source data and methodology. See Frequently Asked Questions

Note: Data for GHI scores, child stunting, and child wasting are from 1998–2002 (2000), 2006–2010 (2008), 2013–2017 (2015), and 2018–2022 (2023). Data for undernourishment are from 2000–2002 (2000), 2007–2009 (2008), 2014–2016 (2015), and 2020–2022 (2023). Data for child mortality are from 2000, 2008, 2015, and 2021 (2023). See Appendix A for the formula for calculating GHI scores and Appendix C for the sources from which the data are compiled.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Global Hunger Index?

2. How is the GHI calculated?

3. What does the 2023 GHI tell us about the hunger situation in India?

4. Can the 2023 data and ranking be compared to data and rankings from previous reports?

5. Which data were used to calculate the 2023 GHI score for India?

6. What changes would be needed to improve India’s ranking?

7. How does India compare with its neighboring countries?

8. Why is the report called a “Hunger Index” and not a “Nutrition Index”?

9. What is the difference between famine and hunger?

10. What is the reason for the choice of GHI indicators, and how can it be representative of the entire population if three out of the four indicators are related to the nutrition and health of children?

11. How representative is the indicator “prevalence of undernourishment”?

12. Why has India’s prevalence of undernourishment worsened if its per capita dietary energy supply, as estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organization, has increased year-on-year owing to enhanced production of major agricultural commodities in the country?

13. Can height and weight of children even be compared between countries given genetic differences?

14. Why is child mortality included in the calculation of GHI scores? Is there any evidence that child mortality is an outcome of hunger?

15. Why does the GHI not use the data from the POSHAN tracker?