Sri Lanka ranks 64 on Global Hunger Index 2022

A father and son share a meal at their shanty in Colombo, Sri Lanka

A father and son share a meal at their shanty in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. (AP Photo / Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka ranked 64 out of 121 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2022. With a score of 13.6, Sri Lanka has a level of hunger that is moderate.

In 2021, Sri Lanka ranked 65 out of 116 countries while in 2020 the country was placed at 64th position.

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger at global, regional, and national levels.

In Asia, India ranked 107 while Pakistan (99), Bangladesh (84), Nepal (81) and Afghanistan with a rank of 109 is the only country behind India.

According to the 2022 GHI, Hunger is at alarming levels in 5 countries—Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Yemen— and is provisionally considered alarming in 4 additional countries – Burundi, Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria. In a further 35 countries, hunger is considered serious, based on 2022 GHI scores and provisional designations. Download the report or click on the map below to learn more.

The GHI said the world is facing a serious setback in efforts to end hunger with conflict, the climate crisis and the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, compounded by the war in Ukraine, are major drivers of hunger.

The report warned that the situation is expected to deteriorate further as global crises overlap. “Possible solutions and the scale of investment required are known and quantified. Rather, the problem lies in policy implementation and the lack of political will in the world,” it said.