Global Hunger Index is a hit job on India; here's why: An India Tracker analysis

By: Sutanu Guru

Lets deal with the anecdotal and symbolic data first, which by definition is neither rigorous nor definitive

First, lets start with data that should be cause for worry to policy makers, civil society groups and analysts in India. Child malnutrition levels are still unacceptably high in the country, though significant improvements have been recorded almost every year. Based on a written reply given by Women & Child Development Minister Smriti Irani in the Rajya Sabha on March 18, 2022, the Press Information Bureau issued a release that stated: “ As per the recent report of NFHS-5 (2019-21), the nutrition indicators for children under 5 years have improved as compared with NFHS-4 (2015-16). Stunting has reduced from 38.4% to 35.5%, Wasting has reduced from 21.0% to 19.3% and Underweight prevalence has reduced from 35.8% to 32.1%.” Just in case a reader is not familiar with the malnutrition jargon, stunting means low height for comparable age; wastage means low weight compared to height and underweight prevalence means children below 3 years age whose weight is less than that stipulated by the World Health Organisation. As the accompanying chart clearly indicates, some of the largest states of India continue to have distressingly high levels of stunting, wastage and underweight prevalence. This is not data conjured up by an angry civil society organisation but that collected by the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey between 2019 and 2021. 

Yet, why does India Tracker say in the headline that the latest Global Hunger Report where India is ranked 107 out of 121 countries is a hit job? Lets deal with the anecdotal and symbolic data first, which by definition is neither rigorous nor definitive. India has provided about $ 4 billion in assistance to Sri Lanka, including food and milk which virtually disappeared from stores in the island nation. But the Global Hunger Report gives a rank of 64 to Sri Lanka. Similarly, India has delivered massive financial assistance to Bangladesh as the Covid pandemic wrecked its garments exports dependent economy. Bangladesh gets a rank of 84. Wheat flour prices in Pakistan have crossed Rs 400 per kg as citizens struggle to purchase basic food items in the virtually bankrupt country. But Pakistan gets a rank of 99, eight higher than India at 107. Since media attention over the last few days has focused on comparing India with other south Asian nations, it is important to point out how simple common sense suggests there is something amiss with the rankings. That becomes even more glaringly evident when one moves away from the south Asian prism and looks at other countries.

As the chart shows, Lebanon has been given a ranking of 52. Now, every tom, dick and harry knows that civil war ravaged Lebanon citizens were tottering on the edge of starvation post pandemic when the Russian invasion of Ukraine made hinges worse. One can perhaps indulge in intellectual gymnastics to justify Myanmar getting a rank of 71; but how can any sane person justify rank 85 for Venezuela? By the time the Covid pandemic struck, 15% of the total population of Venezuela had migrated because there literally was no food in the country. But the esteemed researchers preparing the Global Hunger Index presume it is perfectly all right to give Venezuela a rank that is 22 notches above India. Clearly, there is something amiss with the methodology, the data collection and the analysis done by so called researchers who have prepared the Report and doled out the rankings. 

In the subsequent feature which would constitute part two of this series, India Tracker will analyse the methodology behind the report and provide data to demonstrate how the Report keeps changing goalposts by playing loose and fast with changing parameters. Most readers who are not determined to be blinded by ideological blinkers will agree that the report and the rankings are a hit job. The most mysterious data set is that of the ‘Hunger Score’ for India which seems to have worsened over the last one decade since 2022. More of that later in the next part.