Global Hunger Index 2017

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger globally and by country and region. Calculated each year by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the GHI highlights successes and failures in hunger reduction and provides insights into the drivers of hunger. By raising awareness and understanding of regional and country differences in hunger, the GHI aims to trigger actions to reduce hunger.

According to 2017 GHI scores, the level of hunger in the world has decreased by 27% from the 2000 level. Of the 119 countries assessed in this year’s report, one falls in the extremely alarming range on the GHI Severity Scale; 7 fall in the alarming range; 44 in the serious range; and 24 in the moderate range. Only 43 countries have scores in the low range. In addition, 9 of the 13 countries that lack sufficient data for calculating  2017 GHI scores still raise significant concern, including Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria.

To capture the multidimensional nature of hunger, GHI scores are based on four component indicators—undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality. The 27% improvement noted above reflects progress in each of these indicators according to the latest data from 2012–2016 for countries in the GHI:

• The share of the overall population that is undernourished is 13.0%, down from 18.2% in 2000.
• 27.8% of children under five are stunted, down from 37.7% in 2000.
• 9.5% of children under five are wasted, down from 9.9% in 2000.
• The under-five mortality rate is 4.7%, down from 8.2 % in 2000.

Source: 2917 Global Hunger Index