2022 Global Hunger Index: Food Systems Transformation and Local Governance

This report was published jointly by Concern Worldwide, Ireland, and Welthungerhilfe, Germany, – two non-governmental organisations – in October 2022. The first annual Global Hunger Index (GHI) was published in the year 2006. This 17th edition highlights the impact of climate change, Covid-19, and conflict – such as the war in Ukraine – on global food systems. It stresses on the role of community action and local governments in ensuring food security. The report also measures the progress made towards achieving the second of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – ‘Zero Hunger’. Quoting the Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations, the report states that ‘food deprivation’ or ‘undernourishment’ refers to “the habitual consumption of too few calories to provide the minimum dietary energy an individual requires to live a healthy and productive life, given that person’s sex, age, stature, and physical activity level.” The 2022 report calculates the GHI scores for 121 countries. It gives each country a score which measures hunger on a 100-point scale, ranging from ‘low’ (less than or equal to the score of 9.9), ‘moderate’ (10-19.9), ‘serious’ (20-34.9), ‘alarming’ (35-49.9) to ‘extremely alarming’ (greater than or equal to 50). The GHI is calculated using four indicators: ‘undernourishment’ (the share of the population whose caloric intake is insufficient), ‘child wasting’ (the share of children under the age of five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition), ‘child stunting’ (the share of children under the age of five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition), and ‘child mortality’ (the mortality rate of children under the age of five)...