Sri Lanka ranks 84th out of 119 countries on the global hunger index — behind Nepal, Myanmar and Iraq but ahead of Pakistan and India, according to a report.
The country was ranked at 87 in last year’s report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
As per the report, Sri Lanka ranks below many of its neighbouring countries such as China (29th rank), Nepal (72) and Myanmar (77). However, It is ahead of Bangladesh (88), Pakistan (106), Afghanistan (107) and India (100).
North Korea ranks 93rd while Iraq is at 78th position.
The GHI, now in its 12th year, ranks countries based on four key indicators — undernourishment, child mortality, child wasting and child stunting.
The report ranked 119 countries in the developing world, nearly half of which have ‘extremely alarming,’ ‘alarming’ or ‘serious’ hunger levels.
Only three other countries in this year’s GHI — Djibouti, Sri Lanka and South Sudan — show child wasting above 20%. India’s child wasting rate has not shown any substantial improvement over the past 25 years.
