Sri Lanka has ranked 84th out of 119 countries in the 2017 Global Hunger Index (GHI) released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) this week, with child malnutrition increasing on the island.
The report states that Sri Lanka’s score, based on the prevalence of undernourishment, child stunting (low height-for-age), child wasting (low weight-for-height), and child mortality, has worsened since 2016. The result leaves the island lagging behind countries such as Iraq, Myanmar and Gambia.
Since 2000, Sri Lanka has made the second smallest improvement in the GHI, with only the Central African Republic faring worse.
In particular, the prevalence of wasting in children under five was highlighted by the report.
See the full report here.