Global Hunger Index 2026: India Ranks 100th
Why in News?
- The 2026 Global Hunger Index, released on 23 October 2026, ranks India 100th among 122 countries with a score of 24.1, in the "serious" category.
- India has remained in the serious category since 2012, The Wire reported.
- Child stunting stands at 29.3 per cent and child wasting at 19 per cent, up from 16.9 per cent in the previous reference period.
- India's score fell by only 1.7 points between 2018 and 2026, from 25.8, against an 8.2-point improvement between 2006 and 2012.
- South Asia scores 23.5 and the world 18.1.
Key Terminologies
- Global Hunger Index
- An index that scores countries on hunger using four indicators: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and child mortality. A higher score means worse hunger.
- Child Stunting
- Low height for age in children under five, a sign of chronic undernutrition. India's rate is 29.3 per cent in the 2026 report.
- Child Wasting
- Low weight for height in children under five, a sign of acute undernutrition. The report puts India's rate at 19 per cent, the highest in South Asia.
- Undernourishment
- The share of the population whose food intake does not give enough calories. The report gives India's figure as 9.8 per cent.
Key Issues
- Slow Progress: India's score has eased by only 1.7 points since 2018, from 25.8 to 24.1, while the improvement between 2006 and 2012 was 8.2 points, The Wire reported on 23 October 2026. The slowdown suggests that easy gains are exhausted.
- Rising Wasting: Child wasting rose to 19 per cent from 16.9 per cent in the previous reference period and is the highest in South Asia, where the regional rate is 15.8 per cent.
- Stunting Still Very High: Stunting has fallen from 50.0 per cent in 2000 to 29.3 per cent, a gain of 20.7 percentage points, but the 2026 report describes the level as very high for the first time.
- Regional Gaps: Within South Asia, Sri Lanka ranks 53rd with a score of 10.2 and Nepal 72nd with 14.5, while Bangladesh is 84th with 19.2 and Pakistan 106th with 25.5, according to the index website.
- External Pressures: The report cites conflict, higher food prices linked to wars in Ukraine and Iran, extreme weather and falling international funding. For South Asia it also flags an intensifying El Nino and a 60 per cent probability of below-normal monsoon rainfall, per the India Meteorological Department.
Key Implications
Positive/Pros/Merits
- Progress Over the Long Run: Stunting has dropped by 20.7 percentage points since 2000, which shows that sustained programmes can change outcomes.
- Food Access Safety Net: About 81 crore people receive free foodgrains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, which was extended for five years from 1 January 2024 at an estimated Rs 11.80 lakh crore, The Tribune reported in November 2023.
- Policy Reform Underway: The draft National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026 seeks uniform entitlements, and Minister Pralhad Joshi said in the Rajya Sabha on 4 August 2026 that no State or beneficiary will get less grain.
- Benchmarking Value: The index gives a yearly comparison with neighbours and the world, which helps States and the Centre see where progress lags.
Negative/Cons/Demerits
- Calories Without Nutrition: Free grain addresses calories, but wasting and stunting also depend on diet quality, water, sanitation and maternal health, an analytical point.
- Comparability Limits: The index uses four indicators, and its scores are not directly comparable across reports because of methodological revisions, The Wire noted. The 2026 report uses 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2018 as reference years.
- Climate Risk: A forecast of below-normal monsoon rainfall with El Nino, as the report cites, threatens rural incomes and food prices.
- Aid Contraction: The report says falling international funding has returned food security spending to 2016-2017 levels, which hurts countries that depend on external support.
Key Initiatives
- Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, 2024-2028: The Union Cabinet approved free foodgrains for about 81.35 crore people for five years from 1 January 2024, at an estimated Rs 11.80 lakh crore.
- National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026: The draft bill, discussed in the Rajya Sabha on 4 August 2026, aims at equitable distribution and uniform entitlements, and the Government invited comments from State Governments.
- Free Grain Scale: Minister Pralhad Joshi said the scheme provides 35 kg of free grain per household each month and is among the world's largest food security schemes.
- Global Hunger Index Publishers: Welthungerhilfe, the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict and Helvetas are the organisations behind the 2026 index, according to its website.
The Government of India says free foodgrains reach about 81 crore people, and it is revising the food security law to make entitlements uniform. The reports reviewed do not give an official reaction to the 2026 index.
Director's Perspective
Way Forward
- Focus on child wasting with village-level screening and treatment of acute malnutrition, since it is the indicator that worsened.
- Pair free grain with pulses, eggs, oil and fortified foods in welfare schemes, so that diet quality improves with calories.
- Publish district-level nutrition data every year, so that States can target hotspots and measure progress.
- Prepare drought and price buffers ahead of a weak monsoon, so that food prices do not erase welfare gains.
India's rank of 100th and a score stuck in the serious band show that the nutrition challenge is still large. The fall in stunting and the wide reach of free grain are strengths, while rising wasting and slow progress since 2018 are weaknesses. In a Mains answer, credit the food safety net and the reduction in stunting, then conclude that the next gains require attention to child nutrition, diets and climate risk, not grain alone.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is India's rank in the Global Hunger Index 2026?
India ranks 100th among 122 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2026, tied with Ethiopia, with a score of 24.1. This places India in the serious category, where it has remained since 2012, according to The Wire and the index website.
Which indicators does the Global Hunger Index use?
The Global Hunger Index combines four indicators: the share of the population that is undernourished, child stunting, child wasting and child mortality. In the 2026 report India's undernourishment is 9.8 per cent, child stunting 29.3 per cent and child wasting 19 per cent.
How does India compare with its neighbours in the 2026 index?
Sri Lanka ranks 53rd with 10.2, Nepal 72nd with 14.5, Bangladesh 84th with 19.2 and Pakistan 106th with 25.5, while India is 100th with 24.1, according to the index website. South Asia as a region scores 23.5.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The Global Hunger Index uses undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and child mortality as its four indicators.
The score is calculated from these four components.
2 India has moved out of the serious category of the Global Hunger Index since 2012.
India has remained in the serious category since 2012.
3 Child wasting measures low height for age in children under five.
Wasting is low weight for height, while stunting is low height for age.