Pakistan Ranks 106th in Global Hunger Index 2026

Pakistan has been ranked 106th out of 122 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2026, placing it second worst in South Asia. The ranking comes alongside a report that blames years of ignored warnings and slow policy responses for the worsening situation.

The country recorded a score of 25.5 on the index. Afghanistan, with a score of 28.6, ranked lower than Pakistan, making it the only other South Asian country placed below Pakistan in this comparison.

The report observes that Pakistan has never lacked diagnosis. Surveys, research papers and recommendations on poverty, health, education, nutrition and food security have been produced repeatedly. International bodies have published them, development partners have financed programmes and government institutions have accepted their conclusions. However, the report says, the step from recognising a problem to acting on it has consistently been missing.

Many of the challenges identified in the report, including child labour, unemployment, environmental decline and weak health services, are long-standing rather than new. Over time they have intensified, and issues that could have been managed earlier have become entrenched crises.

The report also highlights a reluctance to confront hard policy questions. Decisions are frequently deferred, sometimes until people are left with few options. Hunger in Pakistan, it argues, is shaped as much by governance, accountability and priorities as it is by food supply.

The index is based on four indicators: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and under-five mortality. According to the report, 16.1 percent of the population is undernourished, while 33.6 percent of children under five are stunted. Child wasting affects 9.8 percent of children, and the under-five mortality rate is 5.6 percent.