The Global Hunger Index

Having a diet which is both sufficient in terms of energy (caloric) requirements and diverse to meet additional nutritional needs is essential for good health. Undernourishment, especially in children and mothers, is a leading risk factor for death and other health consequences.

The UN has set a global target as part of the Sustainable Development Goals to “end hunger by 2030“. Currently we are far from reaching this target.

In our research on Hunger and Undernourishment we look at how many people are undernourished; where they live; childhood undernourishment; and food insecurity across the world.

There are three key physiological measures of undernourishment and undernutrition in children. The measures discussed and visualised in the sub-sections below are:

• Stunting – being ‘too short for one’s age’;
• Wasting – being ‘dangerously thin for one’s height’; and
• Underweight – low weight-for-age in children.

These four indicators are:

• Undernourishment: the proportion of undernourished people as a percentage of the population (reflecting the share of the population with insufficient caloric intake);
• Child wasting: the proportion of children under the age of five who suffer from wasting (low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition);
• Child stunting: the proportion of children under the age of five who suffer from stunting (low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition); and
• Child mortality: the mortality rate of children under the age of five (partially reflecting the fatal synergy of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments).

Scores are categorized in the following way:

• Extremely alarming: 50 or higher
• Alarming: 35 to 50
• Serious: 20 to 35
• Moderate: 10 to 20
• Low: below 10