(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Sri Lanka has ranked 66th out of 177 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) outdoing other South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
In 2018, Sri Lanka stood at the 67th place in the GHI achieving a moderate score of 17.9.
However, this year, Sri Lanka has successfully achieved a moderate score of 17.1 securing the 66th rank.
The GHI is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and national levels.
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) calculates GHI scores each year to assess progress, or the lack thereof, in combating hunger.
In order to calculate the GHI scores, the following four indicators are determined: undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting and child mortality.
Meanwhile, the South Asian giant, India has fallen far behind Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh, placing the 102nd rank. Pakistan has ranked 94th place while Bangladesh ranked 88th place.
Madagascar, Chad, Yemen and the Central African Republic have placed the final three ranks of the GHI indicating a level of hunger that is extremely alarming.
Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Chile and Costa Rica have secured the first five ranks of the GHI with a score less than 5.
