The report GHI published on its website showed that Nigeria is only ahead of Zambia, India, Timo-Leste, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Chad, Niger, Lesotho, Democratic Republic of Congo, Yemen, Madagascar, Central Africa Republic.
Nigeria has ranked 109 with 28.3 points in the 2023 Global Hunger Index report out 125 countries ranked with three other countries not ranked.
The report GHI published on its website showed that Nigeria is only ahead of Zambia, India, Timo-Leste, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Chad, Niger, Lesotho, Democratic Republic of Congo, Yemen, Madagascar, Central Africa Republic.
Countries of Somalia, Burundi and South Sudan were not ranked although they followed the sequence.
According to the report, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, China, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, UAE and Uruguay were ranked one to twenty five points aggregate.
GHI revealed that for 2023 GHI report, data were assessed for 136 countries, adding that out of the number, there were sufficient data to calculate 2023 GHI scores for and rank 125 countries by way of comparison, 121 countries were ranked in the 2022 report).
"This 2023 Global Hunger Index report supersedes all former GHI results. As always, rankings and index scores from this table cannot be accurately compared to rankings and index scores from previous reports. The 2000, 2008, and 2015 scores and indicator data contained within this table and the 2023 report are currently the only data that can be used for valid comparisons of the GHI over time.
"For the 2023 GHI report, data were assessed for 136 countries. Out of these, there were sufficient data to calculate 2023 GHI scores for and rank 125 countries (by way of comparison, 121 countries were ranked in the 2022 report).
"For 11 countries, individual scores could not be calculated and ranks could not be determined owing to lack of data. Where possible, these countries were provisionally designated by severity: 1 as low, 1 as moderate, and 3 as alarming.
For six countries, according to the report provisional designations could not be established (see Provisional Hunger Severity Designations), adding that data are not available or not presented. "Some countries did not exist in their present borders in the given year or reference period.
"The 20 countries with 2023 GHI scores of less than 5 are not assigned individual ranks, but rather are collectively ranked 1-20. Differences between their scores are minimal."
According to the report, the Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels, reflecting multiple dimensions of hunger over time. "The GHI is intended to raise awareness and understanding of the struggle against hunger, provide a way to compare levels of hunger between countries and regions, and call attention to those areas of the world where hunger levels are highest and where the need for additional efforts to eliminate hunger is greatest."
On how the GHI is calculated, the report noted that each country’s GHI score is calculated based on a formula that combines four indicators that together capture the multidimensional nature of hunger:
"Undernourishment: the share of the population whose caloric intake is insufficient;
"Child stunting: the share of children under the age of five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition;
"Child wasting: the share of children under the age of five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition; and
"Child mortality: the share of children who die before their fifth birthday, reflecting in part the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments."
It explained that using this combination of indicators to measure hunger offers several advantages, adding that the indicators included in the GHI formula reflect caloric deficiencies as well as poor nutrition.
"The undernourishment indicator captures the food access situation of the population as a whole, while the indicators specific to children reflect the nutrition status within a particularly vulnerable subset of the population for whom a lack of dietary energy, protein, and/or micronutrients (essential vitamins and minerals) leads to a high risk of illness, poor physical and cognitive development, and death.
"The inclusion of both child wasting and child stunting allows the GHI to document both acute and chronic undernutrition. By combining multiple indicators, the index minimizes the effects of random measurement errors. These four indicators are all part of the indicator set used to measure progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."
The report explained that the problem of hunger is complex, and different terms are used to describe its various forms.
"Hunger is usually understood to refer to the distress associated with a lack of sufficient calories. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines food deprivation, or undernourishment, as 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."
"Undernutrition goes beyond calories and signifies deficiencies in any or all of the following: energy, protein, and/or essential vitamins and minerals. Undernutrition is the result of inadequate intake of food in terms of either quantity or quality, poor utilization of nutrients in the body due to infections or other illnesses, or a combination of these immediate causes. These, in turn, result from a range of underlying factors, including household food insecurity; inadequate maternal health or childcare practices; or inadequate access to health services, safe water, and sanitation.
"Malnutrition refers more broadly to both undernutrition (problems caused by deficiencies) and overnutrition (problems caused by unbalanced diets that involve consuming too many calories in relation to requirements, with or without low intake of micronutrient-rich foods). Overnutrition—resulting in overweight, obesity, and noncommunicable diseases—is increasingly common throughout the world, with implications for human health, government expenditures, and food systems development. While overnutrition is an important concern, the GHI focuses specifically on issues relating to undernutrition.
"In this report, “hunger” refers to the index based on the four component indicators (undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality). Taken together, the component indicators reflect deficiencies in calories as well as in micronutrients."