The global hunger Index: India's rank of 100th, lower than even its poorer neighbours

 India, Asia’s third largest economy and the world’s second most populous nation after China with 1.3 billion people, is no exception.

The global hunger index report of Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ranks India at 100 out of 119 countries, three notches down from 97 last year.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines food security as a situation when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preference for an active and healthy life. The lack of a balanced diet minus essential nutrients results in chronic malnutrition.

India's rank of 100 is lower than even its poorer neighbours such as Nepal (72), Bangladesh (88), Sri Lanka (84) and Myanmar (77). China has a far higher rank of 29. In South Asia, only Pakistan is lower than India at 106.

"While the world has committed to reaching Zero Hunger by 2030, the fact that over 20 million people are currently at risk of famine shows how far we are from realizing this vision," the report says.