Pakistan worst hit by hunger in South Asia

Dawn reported that Pakistan ranked worst among South Asian nations in the 2026 Global Hunger Index, which came out on Wednesday. The study, prepared by Welthungerhilfe, the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict at Ruhr University Bochum and Helvetas, ties the worsening food security picture to economic strain, climate shocks and wars. Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated since 2018, while progress across the region has largely stalled.

In Pakistan, sharp food inflation and economic instability have reduced what households can buy. Undernourishment has risen from a low level in 2018 to medium, and child wasting is nearing the high threshold. Stunting is still very high though falling, and child mortality has dropped from very high to medium levels.

Across South Asia the regional score is 23.5, a fall from 37.5 in 2000, though most of that gain came before 2018. Globally, the score rose to 18.1 from 17.6 in 2018, with hunger up in 32 countries. Armed conflict and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz are raising fuel, transport and fertiliser costs, while aid for food security has dropped to 2016-2017 levels.