Bangladesh is ranked 84th out of 127 countries on the Global Hunger Index.

Bangladesh has been ranked 84th out of 127 countries in this year's Global Hunger Index (GHI), with a score of 19.4, dropping three spots from last year’s 81st position. Despite this, the report highlights Bangladesh as one of the few countries that have made significant progress in combating hunger since 2016. Last year, Bangladesh scored 19 on the index, down from 24.7 in 2016. 

The report, released yesterday, notes, "In contrast to the global trend, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Nepal, Somalia, and Togo have reduced their GHI scores by more than 5 points compared to their 2016 scores." However, hunger remains a significant issue in Bangladesh and is still considered "too high."

This year, Bangladesh's hunger level is categorized as "moderate." The GHI score for each country is calculated based on four key indicators: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality.

Bangladesh’s latest score reflects that 11.9 percent of its population is undernourished, while 2.9 percent of children die before their fifth birthday. Additionally, 23.6 percent of children under five suffer from stunting, and 11 percent experience wasting, meaning they are too thin for their height.

Other South Asian countries ranked in the index include Sri Lanka (56th), Nepal (68th), India (105th), and Pakistan (109th). The report highlights that hunger remains a serious issue across South Asia, driven by poor diet quality, economic challenges, and increasing natural disasters. With 281 million undernourished people, the region accounts for nearly 40 percent of the global total and has the highest rate of child wasting.

Globally, hunger is considered serious or alarming in 42 countries. In six countries—Burundi, Chad, Madagascar, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen—hunger is deemed alarming. In 36 countries, hunger remains a serious concern, and in 22 countries, hunger has worsened since 2016.

The 2024 GHI also highlights that 22 countries with scores below 5 are collectively ranked 1-22 due to minimal differences between their scores. The top five countries in the index are Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, China, and Costa Rica.

The GHI, an annual peer-reviewed report jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, aims to measure and track hunger globally, regionally, and at the country level, with the goal of spurring action to reduce hunger worldwide.