Global Hunger Index 2024

The 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI) report was published by the Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe on October 10, 2024. The 19th edition of the GHI has revealed a grim picture, with 42 countries struggling with serious or alarming hunger levels. Progress against hunger has been stalled since 2016, mainly due to conflicts, climate change, and economic downturns. The report has urged governments to prioritise gender justice, climate action, and food security. It has stated that addressing gender inequality could lift millions out of hunger and improve child nutrition.

The 2024 GHI has highlighted the stark distance from achieving Zero Hunger by 2030, with billions still lacking adequate food. Progress on key hunger indicators—undernourishment, child stunting, wasting, and mortality—is insufficient, leaving numerous regions facing severe food insecurity. This has been threatening both immediate well-being and long-term development prospects.

Calculation of the Index

The GHI uses four parameters (indicators) to calculate the index values of each country’s GHI score. It is calculated based on a formula that combines the following four indicators that together capture the multidimensional nature of hunger:

• Undernourishment The share of the total population of a country which has insufficient calorie intake
• Child stunting The share of children who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition
• Child wasting The share of children under the age of five having low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition
• Child mortality The share of children who die under the age of five years due to the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments

The effects of random measurement errors are minimised by combining these indicators. These four indicators are part of the indicator set used to measure the progress made towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Based on the values of the four indicators, a GHI score for each country is calculated on a 100-point scale reflecting the severity of hunger. According to the GHI index, ‘zero’ is the best possible score (no hunger) and ‘100’ is the worst. The GHI score for every country is classified by severity, i.e., from ‘low’ to ‘extremely alarming’.

Regions with a GHI score of 50.0 or higher are classified as experiencing extremely alarming hunger, while those with scores between 35.0 and 49.9 are considered to have alarming hunger levels. A GHI score between 20.0 and 34.9 indicates a serious hunger situation, while scores between 10.0 and 19.9 reflect moderate hunger. Regions with a GHI score of 9.9 or lower are considered to have low hunger, suggesting relatively better conditions.

Key Findings

In 2024, GHI scores were calculated for 127 of 136 assessed countries, using the data from 2019 to 2023 sourced from major UN agencies and the World Bank. Provisional designations were assigned to three countries lacking complete data, while six countries lacked enough data for scoring or designation.

Worldwide progress against hunger has slowed significantly over the past decade. The 2024 GHI score is 18.3 has been considered moderate down only slightly from 2016 score of 18.8. Africa South of the Sahara and South Asia have been facing severe hunger, driven by high undernourishment and child mortality rates. At the current pace, the target of Zero Hunger by 2030 would be unattainable. In fact, reaching low hunger levels would take until 2160, over 130 years from now, highlighting the urgent need for accelerated progress.

Alarming hunger levels Six countries have been experiencing alarming hunger levels: Somalia, Yemen, Chad, Madagascar, Burundi, and South Sudan. Gaza have been experiencing its worst food crisis in 20 years, with almost the entire population facing acute food insecurity. Alarmingly, 22 countries have seen increased hunger levels since 2016, while progress has been stalled in 20 countries. However, some progress is noted, as countries like Bangladesh, Mozambique, Nepal, Somalia, and Togo have made significant strides in reducing hunger despite high overall levels.

Overlapping challenges The 2024 GHI has highlighted the severe impacts on the poorest countries from overlapping challenges, including conflicts, worsening climate change, economic downturns, and rising food prices. Over 115 million people globally have been displaced due to violence, persecution, and weather-related disasters. Conflicts in Gaza and Sudan have exacerbated food crises, while rising inequality, especially in fragile states, worsens poverty.

Gender justice, climate resilience, and food and nutrition security Women and girls have been disproportionately affected, facing food insecurity, malnutrition, and climate-related disasters. Discrimination has blocked their access to resources and opportunities, underscoring the need to address gender inequality for transformative change in food systems and climate resilience.

Despite global efforts for the promotion of gender equality, severe inequality has been persistent, particularly in food security. Women, especially those who are poor, rural, or in informal work, have been disproportionately affected by food insecurity, with gaps as wide as 19 percentage points as compared to men in some regions. Conflict exacerbates this, as does climate change, which has been disproportionately impacting women. Women’s roles in agriculture have been undervalued, and policies often overlooked the unequal power dynamics that affect them, including unpaid labour and limited access to resources. As climate impacts have intensified, women bear heavier workloads, facing increased time poverty, which further have been threatening food security.

Achieving gender justice is essential for an equitable food and climate justice. It would include three dimensions: recognition, redistribution, and representation. Recognition involves changing gender-biased norms and acknowledging that different groups have distinct needs and vulnerabilities, leading to transformative changes in communities. Redistribution seeks to allocate resources to address gender inequalities, as women often lack control over resources despite being responsible for household food security. Representation emphasises closing the gender gap in political participation, enabling women’s leadership to drive policies toward gender equity.

Policy Recommendations

The recommendations stress that climate, nutrition, and food systems policies should align with human rights and international law, focusing on equity, justice, and greater urgency for coordinated action to combat hunger.

Some key recommendations include:

Strengthening accountability States must uphold international law and enforce the right to adequate food, eliminating gender discrimination and ensuring food access during disasters and conflicts.

Key actions include formalisation of right to food in laws and regulations with monitoring and accountability mechanisms; incorporation of community perspectives in food security analysis and linking of early warning systems to prompt action; and support citizens, civil society, and national human rights institutions in advocating for the right to food.

Gender-transformative approaches To create effective, context-sensitive policies, policymakers must consider how food systems and climate resilience are shaped by diverse needs, vulnerabilities, and socioeconomic factors, including gendered power dynamics. Climate and food systems policies must ensure the leadership and representation of women and marginalised groups, leveraging their expertise in natural resource management.

Governments should establish inclusive, participatory governance structures with decision-making power and adequate budgets. Policymakers must integrate gender considerations into legal frameworks and update key national strategies to promote equity, inclusivity, and rights-based approaches, including gender budgeting and audits.

Investing in gender, climate, and food justice Governments must redistribute public resources to address structural inequalities and promote gender-equitable access. Investments in care, education, health, and rural development could address discriminatory norms and promote equitable labour distribution.

Governments and development partners should harmonise policies across sectors to invest in climate-resilient food systems, reduce women’s time poverty, improve socioeconomic status and agency, and agricultural support should focus on climate mitigation and gender-transformative adaptation.

International financial institutions, governments, and creditors must address the debt crisis and lack of fiscal space in low- and middle-income countries through debt restructuring and relief and credit enhancements linked to right to food and Sustainable Development Goals. This would help in realising the right to food, achieving the SDGs, and fulfilling the Paris Agreement.

Further, donor countries should increase development funding commitments to at least 0.7 per cent of the GDP. Climate support should prioritise grants for local actions, especially for women, youth, and indigenous peoples, through simplified procedures in the Loss and Damage Fund. The donor community should further provide climate support in the form of grants to empower affected communities, especially women, youth, and indigenous peoples, to implement local climate actions.

India’s Position in GHI 2024

India has been ranked 105th out of 127 countries with a ‘serious’ score of 27.3, trailing behind neighbours Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka which fall in the ‘moderate’ category.

India’s rank has been slightly improved from 2023 ranking of 111th out of 125 countries with a GHI score of 28.7.

India’s GHI score has improved from 38.4 ‘alarming’ in 2000 to 27.3 ‘serious’ in 2024. However, troubling statistics persist including 13.7 per cent undernourished, 35.5 per cent stunted children under 5,18.7 per cent wasted children under 5, and 2.9 per cent child mortality under 5.

These numbers have highlighted deep-seated undernutrition and access issues.

 According to the report, India has made significant progress in reducing its child mortality rate since 2000; however, still has been facing challenges with child wasting and stunting rates, ranking highest and 14th-highest, respectively. Although the stunting rate has decreased notably, both measures have remained high from a public health perspective. Undernourishment has improved since 2000; however, there has been a slight increase in recent years.

The Indian government has questioned the GHI methodology and data sources since 2021, particularly regarding the omission of initiatives like the Poshan tracker. This application monitors services provided by Anganwadi centres, tracking child health indicators, and benefiting pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls.

Some Key Areas for Improvement

Addressing child wasting and stunting India’s high rates are linked to mothers’ poor nutritional status and low birth weight among infants.

Maternal health and nutrition Focus on the first 1000 days of life to address intergenerational undernutrition.

Multifaceted approaches Combine government efforts with community involvement and nutrition-sensitive interventions.

To enhance its ranking, India should prioritise these areas, building on existing initiatives like the National Food Security Act, Poshan Abhiyan, and National Mission for Natural Farming.

The 2024 GHI report included a unique FAQ section specifically for India, addressing past government critiques regarding India’s ranking. Senior policy adviser Miriam Wiemers confirmed that India is the only country with a tailored FAQ due to high public interest. Wiemers highlighted that India’s most recent consumption data was indeed used to estimate hunger levels, which could enhance the accuracy of undernourishment values. She noted that India’s child stunting and wasting values were drawn from National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) data, and future GHI editions may incorporate updated data from the Joint Malnutrition Estimates when available.

India’s Stance on GHI 2024

The government previously criticised the GHI’s methodology and data sources. A separate FAQ section addressing these concerns, explaining the calculation, data usage, and potential inclusion of India’s Poshan tracker data has been used in GHI 2024.

The government has argued that three indicators focus on children’s health, but the GHI authors emphasise children’s vulnerability to nutritional deficiencies. The report has praised the government initiatives like the Poshan campaign and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) but has suggested additional solutions.

Notably, the government has been silent on the latest report. The delayed National Family Health Survey (NFHS) has raised concerns about data availability. Accurate data is crucial for informed policy decisions to tackle hunger and nutrition issues. India’s improved ranking should not obscure the need for continued efforts to address underlying challenges.

Conclusion

The GHI 2024 presents a stark reminder of the ongoing global hunger crisis. While progress has been made in some regions, much work remains to be done, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and countries affected by conflict. In India, hunger and malnutrition remain serious issues, despite economic growth. Addressing these challenges requires an integrated approach that combines climate resilience, inclusive policies, and sustainable food systems, alongside a focus on equity and human rights. Governments, international organisations, and civil society must work together to create a world where hunger is no longer a threat to health, dignity, and development.

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