Pakistan has ranked second-worst in South Asia on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2026, behind only Afghanistan, according to a report published on the GHI website. The ranking underlines the country’s food insecurity and malnutrition challenges.
The report said that, with a score of 25.5, Pakistan has a “serious level of hunger.” Only Afghanistan scored higher in the region, with 28.6. The regional GHI score for South Asia is 23.5, while the global score is 18.1.
Pakistan’s long-term trend and global rank
Pakistan’s score has fallen from 36.2 in 2000 to 25.5 in 2026, which the report said shows substantial long-term improvement. The country ranks 106th out of 122 countries with sufficient data to calculate GHI 2026 scores.
How the index measures hunger in Pakistan
The score is based on four indicators, according to the report:
- Undernourishment, meaning the share of the population whose caloric intake is insufficient
- Child stunting, meaning the share of children under five with low height for their age
- Child wasting, meaning the share of children under five with low weight for their height
- Child mortality, meaning the number of children who die before their fifth birthday
The report said 16.1% of Pakistan’s population is malnourished and 33.6% of its children under five are stunted. It also showed that 9.8% of children are wasted and 5.6% die before the age of five.
IMF projects rising inflation for fiscal year 2026-27
The report comes just days after the International Monetary Fund projected Pakistan’s inflation rate to rise to 9.9% in the fiscal year 2026-27. In its World Economic Outlook report released on Tuesday, the lender said inflation would increase from 7.1% in 2025-26.
