India ranks 102nd in the 2025 Global Hunger Index, facing serious hunger issues. Global progress is slow, with conflicts, climate change, and inequalities driving rising hunger levels worldwide.

Why in the news?

Global Hunger Index (GHI), 2025 ranks India under 'serious' category.

About Global Hunger Index (GHI)

Index has been released by Irish humanitarian organization 'Concern Worldwide' and German aid agency 'Welthungerhilfe' (with FAO, UNICEF, WHO, IFPRI).
Purpose of Index is to track hunger globally using nutrition & mortality indicators.
Each country's GHI score is calculated based on a formula (See image) that combines four indicators:
- Undernourishment (Insufficient caloric intake);
- Child stunting (Children with low height under age 5);
- Child wasting: (Children with low weight for their height under age 5);
- Child mortality: (Children who die before their fifth birthday).

Infographic explaining the composition of Global Hunger Index (GHI) scores. It shows four circular icons representing the components: undernourishment (one-third weight), child stunting (one-sixth), child wasting (one-sixth), and child mortality (one-third). These combine to form the overall GHI score. Below, a color-coded GHI Severity Scale lists categories on a 100-point scale: ≤9.9 Low, 10.0–19.9 Moderate, 20.0–34.9 Serious, 35.0–49.9 Alarming, and ≥50.0 Extremely Alarming.

Key Findings of the report

India Related Findings:
- India's Position: India is ranked 102nd among the 123 countries assessed with a GHI score of 25.8, which is classified as serious.
- Child Nutrition Crisis: 1 in 3 Indian children is stunted. Undernourishment affects 172 million people, 13.5 million more than in 2016.

Global Findings:
- Achieving Zero Hunger: At current rates, SDG-2 (Zero Hunger by 2030) is out of reach. At least 56 countries are not on track to achieve even low hunger by 2030.
- Global Status: 2025 global GHI score is 18.3 (moderate category), showing only marginal improvement from 19.0 in 2016.
- Regional Disparities: Serious hunger in Africa, South Asia, and alarming hunger in 7 countries, like Somalia (worst), DRC, and South Sudan, etc.
Drivers of Rising Hunger:
- Globally: Armed conflicts, climate shocks, economic fragility, and declining political and financial commitment.
- India: Intergenerational Cycle of malnutrition, reduced productivity, and Poverty; Persistent poor maternal nutrition and uneven access to child-health service; High Chronic Malnutrition; Poverty and Inequality; etc.

Consequences of Hunger

Higher child mortality: Under-nutrition is responsible for 45% of deaths among children under the age of five.
Lower productivity: Hunger reduces physical capacity and cognitive efficiency, lowering workforce productivity and national economic growth.
Rising healthcare burden: Malnutrition increases illness, putting pressure on public health systems and raising preventable healthcare costs.
Other Consequences: Poor learning outcomes, Violation of Human Right to adequate food, Famine and Catastrophe & Deepening inequalities etc.

Initiatives taken for Tackling Hunger in India

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) launched to provide food grains free of costs to 80 crore poor.
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojna: Registered women were provided Rs 5000/- on the birth of their first child for wage support and nutritious food during pregnancy and post-delivery period.
POSHAN Abhiyan (National Nutrition Mission): Aims to achieve improvement in key nutrition parameters for children and women.
Eat Right Movement: Aims to transform the country's food system to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food.
Integrated child development scheme (ICDS): Supplementary Nutrition is one of the six services provided under the ICDS. It is intended primarily to bridge gap between Recommended Dietary Allowance and Average Daily Intake.
National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013: NFSA is an Act of the Parliament of India intended to provide subsidised food grains to approximately two-thirds of India's 1.2 billion people, Recognizes the right to food as a statutory right.

Way Forward

Ensure political commitment and good governance: Treat food security as a right, not charity; strengthen accountability, coordination, and transparent monitoring.
Increase and diversify financing: Reverse recent funding cuts, ensure timely and flexible financing, and align aid with national priorities through results-based mechanisms.
Build resilient and inclusive food systems: Promote climate-resilient agriculture, restore ecosystems, secure land and water rights, empower smallholders and women, and integrate nutrition with agriculture.
Adopt multisectoral, locally led strategies: Link hunger reduction with health, education, WASH and social protection; empower local governments and communities to design solutions.
Other Ways for Zero Hunger: Strengthen social safety nets, connect farmers to markets, reduce food loss, and prevent maternal-child malnutrition.

Conclusion

Hunger is not merely a lack of food, but a result of poverty, conflict, climate shocks, and policy gaps. Addressing it requires resilient food systems, targeted nutrition support, empowered communities, and global cooperation to ensure the right to food for all.