The African countries Angola and Ethiopia continue to register the highest improvement in the Global Hunger Index (GHI), according to the data published this month.

The GHI is prepared annually by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Concern Worldwide, and Welthungerhilfe, since 2006.

The index is based on the total score of a country in three equally weighted indicators. That is:
1. The proportion of undernourished as a percentage of the population (reflecting the share of the population with insufficient dietary energy intake);
2. The prevalence of underweight in children under the age of five (indicating the proportion of children suffering from low weight for their age); and
3. The mortality rate of children under the age of five (partially reflecting the fatal synergy between inadequate dietary intake and unhealthy environments).

The GHI rates each country on a 100-point scale, with each of the three indicators above marked out of 33.33 points. The Index is computed using the most-recently available data from the relevant United Nations(UN) agencies. Thus, the GHI 2011 is based on data from year 2004-2009.

High GHI score is a negative indicator. A GHI score of 30.0 or higher is considered ‘extremely alarming’, while scores between 20.0 and 29.9 are ‘alarming’, and scores between 5.0 and 19.9 indicate ‘moderate hunger’. On theother hand,  GHI score less than 5.0 is deemed ‘low hunger’ situation.

The GHI provides data since year 1990 as that is the reference point for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The recent report reveals that, compared to year 1990, Angola improved by -18.8 points, Ethiopia by 14.5 points and Vietnam by 14.5 points.

Table: Top 10 performers (based on GHI 2011 report)

Though Ethiopia showed a remarkable improvement, it moved from the extremely alarming to alarming category just last year. Moreover, Ethiopia’s GHI score needs to be 21.27 by the year 2015 so as to meet the MDGs. 

The change in Ethiopia’s GHI score is a result of the improvements recorded in each of the three indicators since 1990. According to GHI 2011 report:

• The proportion of undernourished in the population decreased from 69% (in 1990-92) to 41% (in 2005-2007).
• The prevalence of underweight in children under five years decreased 39.6% (in 1988-92) to 34.6% (in 2004-09).
• The rate of Under five Mortality is reduced from 21% (in 1990) to 10.4% (in 2009).

As you noticed above,the GHI has limitations in reflecting the current year’s situation. The report cautions that:

The GHI is only as current as the data for its three component indicators. The 2011GHI reflects data from 2004 to 2009 – the most recent available country-level data on the three GHI components. It is thus a snapshot not of the present, but of the recent past.

Yet, the multidimensional approach of the GHI is believed to enable capturing ‘various aspects of hunger in one index number, thereby presenting a quick overview of a complex issue. It takes account of the nutrition situation not only of the population as a whole, but also of a physiologically vulnerable group – children – for whom a lack of nutrients causes a high risk of illness, poor physical and cognitive growth, and death. In addition, by combining independently measured indicators, it reduces the effects of random measurement errors.’

Table: Performance of African countries acc. to the GHI 2011 report.

* You may Download the GHI 2011 data here or visit IFPRI website.