Bangladesh hunger progress slows as child wasting rises

Bangladesh ranked 84th among 122 countries in the 2026 Global Hunger Index (GHI), with progress slowing and child wasting worsening, The Business Standard reported Thursday.

The index, released Oct. 14, gave Bangladesh a score of 19.2, compared with 20 in 2018, keeping it in the moderate hunger category. Lower scores indicate less hunger.

Child wasting, meaning low weight for height among children under five, reached 12.9%, up from 8.4% in 2018 and its highest level since 2000. Child stunting, or low height for age, fell to 24%, while undernourishment affected 8.2% of the population.

The assessment combines indicators from different periods, rather than measuring conditions on a single date. Its underlying data include undernourishment estimates for 2023-25, wasting data from 2021-25, and child mortality figures for 2024.