ISLAMABAD: According to Geo News, Pakistan has ranked second-worst in South Asia on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2026, behind only Afghanistan.
The report, published on the GHI website, gives Pakistan a score of 25.5, which it classifies as a "serious" level of hunger. Afghanistan scores 28.6, the worst in the region, while South Asia's regional score is 23.5 and the global score is 18.1.
Pakistan ranks 106th out of the 122 countries with sufficient data to calculate 2026 scores. The report also points to long-term progress: Pakistan's score has fallen from 36.2 in 2000 to 25.5 this year.
The index is built on four indicators: undernourishment, or the share of people whose calorie intake is insufficient; child stunting, children under five who are too short for their age; child wasting, children under five who weigh too little for their height; and child mortality before the age of five.
According to the report, 16.1% of Pakistan's population is undernourished and 33.6% of children under five are stunted. A further 9.8% of children are wasted, and 5.6% die before their fifth birthday.
The findings come days after the International Monetary Fund, in its World Economic Outlook released on Tuesday, projected Pakistan's inflation to rise to 9.9% in the current fiscal year 2026-27 from 7.1% in 2025-26.