Global Hunger Index 2026: India ranks 100th, in ‘serious’ category; child-wasting level worst in South Asia

India ranks 100th among 122 ranked countries in the 2026 Global Hunger Index (GHI), with a score of 24.1 that keeps it in the 'serious’ category, where it has been since 2012. The report, titled ‘No security without food security’, says India's progress has slowed, and that child wasting has risen even as stunting and undernourishment have fallen.

India's GHI score has improved but the pace of improvement has slowed since the 2006-2012 period. “India’s GHI score, considered serious since 2012, mirrors the regional slowdown, with the score easing from 25.8 in 2018 to 24.1 in 2026. This represents a fraction of its steep improvement of 8.2 points between 2006 and 2012,” says the report.

India has also moved up two spots on the GHI index; it was ranked at 102 out of 123 last year.

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GHI Index 2026: India’s child wasting rate rises

The Global Hunger Index is computed on the basis of four parameters – undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality.

The report says undernourishment improved to 9.8% in 2026 from 10.5% during the previous reference year, while child wasting climbed from 16.9% to 19.0%, the region's highest rate, and has remained very high at every reference year. “Child stunting fell to 29.3 percent in 2026, moving from a very high to a high rate for the first time,” says the report. The data for previous and current reference years are given below.

(Survey value due to a missing official estimate or newly released data. The report's note lists India under 2026.)

The report notes that the “indicators pull in opposite directions” – some show improvement and others decline.

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It is noted that hunger is the highest category for India and is first on child wasting (2021-2025) at 19.0%. It is followed by Timor-Leste (18.5%), Sudan (18.1%) and Yemen (16.8%). India's bar is marked as a survey value from 2026.

Global Hunger Index 2026: India in ‘serious’ category

On the GHI Index 2026, India has Pakistan (with a 25.5 GHI score) and the Solomon Islands (23.4) as neighbours. It is faring better than Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan and Pakistan but is worse off than Lao and Bangladesh. South Asia’s score as a whole is 23.4 and the world is at 18.1. On the world map, India falls in the “serious” category (20.0-34.9).

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The report also cites the monsoon forecast which is intensifying El Niño and the prospect of a deficient 2026 southwest monsoon. It says the India Meteorological Department forecasts a 60% probability of below-normal rainfall across the Monsoon Core Zone, which encompasses most of India's rainfed agricultural areas.