Global Hunger Index 2026: India Ranks 100th, Pakistan 106th

Global Hunger Index 2026 ranks India 100th and Pakistan 106th. Explore GHI scores, hunger indicators, child malnutrition and South Asia's key findings.

Table of Contents

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2026 ranks India 100th out of 122 countries, with a score of 24.1, while Pakistan stands at 106th with a score of 25.5. Both countries fall under the serious hunger category. The report, titled No Security Without Food Security, highlights the challenges of malnutrition, climate change, economic instability and rising food prices.

The global hunger score stands at 18.1, indicating moderate hunger worldwide and raising concerns about achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) by 2030.

What is the Global Hunger Index 2026?

The Global Hunger Index is an annual report that measures and tracks hunger at global, regional and national levels. It aims to raise awareness about hunger and encourage policies to improve nutrition and food security.

The 2026 report has been published by:

Welthungerhilfe (WHH)
Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV), Ruhr University Bochum
Helvetas, a Swiss development organisation

GHI scores range from 0 to 100, with lower scores indicating lower levels of hunger.

Global Hunger Index 2026: India vs Pakistan

Indicator	India	Pakistan
Global Rank	100th	106th
GHI Score	24.1	25.5
Hunger Category	Serious	Serious
Child Stunting	29.3%	33.6%
Child Wasting	Nearly 19%	9.8%
Under-five Mortality	Around 2.7–2.9%	5.6%
Undernourishment	—	16.1%

India performs better than Pakistan in the overall GHI score. However, India’s high child wasting rate remains a major nutritional concern.

India’s Performance in Global Hunger Index 2026

India ranks 100th among 122 countries, with a GHI score of 24.1.

Key findings include:

Child Stunting: 29.3% of children under five are affected, compared with approximately 50% in 2000.
Child Wasting: Nearly 19% of children under five experience wasting, indicating serious acute malnutrition.
Child Mortality: The under-five mortality rate is approximately 2.7–2.9%.
Hunger Classification: India continues to remain in the serious hunger category.

Although India has made progress in reducing child stunting, improving child nutrition remains a significant challenge.

Pakistan’s Performance in Global Hunger Index 2026

Pakistan ranks 106th out of 122 countries, with a GHI score of 25.5.

Major findings include:

Undernourishment affects 16.1% of the population.
Child stunting stands at 33.6%.
Child wasting affects 9.8% of children under five.
Under-five mortality stands at 5.6%.

Pakistan’s GHI score has improved from 36.2 in 2000 to 25.5 in 2026. However, rising food prices, economic instability and climate-related disasters have contributed to setbacks since 2018.

Global Hunger Index 2026: Key Global Findings

The report highlights slow and uneven progress in reducing hunger worldwide.

Global Hunger Score: 18.1 in 2026, compared with 17.6 in 2018.
Worsening Hunger: Hunger levels have deteriorated in 32 countries since 2018.
Alarming Hunger: Eight countries are classified as alarming, including Somalia, Chad, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
2030 Target: Around 57 countries are projected to miss the low-hunger threshold by 2030 if current trends continue.
Major Challenges: Armed conflicts, climate shocks, rising food prices and economic instability threaten global food security.

How is the Global Hunger Index Calculated?

The GHI is calculated using four indicators:

Indicator	Meaning
Undernourishment	Percentage of people consuming insufficient calories
Child Stunting	Children under five with low height for their age
Child Wasting	Children under five with low weight for their height
Child Mortality	Children dying before their fifth birthday

Global Hunger Index Score Categories

GHI Score	Hunger Severity
Below 10	Low
10–19.9	Moderate
20–34.9	Serious
35–49.9	Alarming
50 and above	Extremely Alarming

South Asia’s Performance in Global Hunger Index 2026

South Asia continues to face serious nutritional challenges. The regional GHI score is approximately 23.5–24.0, depending on the regional presentation in the official report.

Country	GHI 2026 Rank	Score
India	100	24.1
Pakistan	106	25.5
Afghanistan	108	28.6
Bangladesh	—	19.2
Nepal	—	14.5
Sri Lanka	—	10.2

South Asia’s major challenges include child malnutrition, unequal access to nutritious food, poverty and vulnerability to climate-related disasters.

Global Hunger Index 2026: Importance for UPSC

The report is relevant for UPSC Civil Services Examination preparation, particularly:

GS Paper II: Poverty, hunger, health, nutrition and government welfare schemes.
GS Paper III: Food security, agriculture and sustainable development.
Essay: Hunger, inequality, human development and social justice.
Prelims: GHI publishers, indicators, rankings and SDG 2.

Important Indian initiatives addressing hunger and malnutrition include the National Food Security Act, 2013, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, POSHAN Abhiyaan and PM POSHAN Scheme.

Conclusion

The Global Hunger Index 2026 highlights the continuing challenge of food insecurity in India, Pakistan and other developing countries. Although India performs better than Pakistan in overall rankings, both remain in the serious hunger category. Addressing child malnutrition, improving dietary diversity and strengthening food security programmes are essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030.