World view · wellbeing
Global Hunger Index
विश्व भोकमरी सूचकाङ्क
Nepal · 2025
14.8 — moderate
Rank 72 of 123
Trajectory · 2000–2025
Global Hunger Index
Concern Worldwide / Welthungerhilfe
Linear extrapolation of the last 5-year trend — illustrative only, not a forecast.
Solid — measured history
Dashed — if current trend continues
Green dotted — reform scenario (1.5× current pace)
Honest caveat: projections are linear extrapolation of the last 5 observed years. Real-world indices change non-linearly with policy shocks, elections, and external events. This tool answers "where would this go if nothing changes?" — it is not a forecast. For real change, see the "what would move this" panel below.
Why Nepal is here
Nepal's hunger score has dropped 60% since 2000 — a quiet success story. But the 2025 GHI shows a small reverse: Nepal slipped four places (68 → 72) and the score ticked up from 14.7 to 14.8. Child stunting fell from 57% (2001) to 25% (2022), but remains highest in Karnali. Remaining gap: hidden hunger (micronutrient deficiency) and seasonal food insecurity in Karnali and Sudurpaschim mid-hill belts.
The short version
When you were not even born, more than half of Nepali children were too short for their age. Now it is one-in-four — still too many. In 2025 we dropped four places, so progress has stalled. We still do better than India and Pakistan.
Inside the score
The headline number breaks down into these sub-scores — these are the levers.
Undernourishment (% pop)
5.4/100
5.4% of Nepalis face calorie deficit — down from 22.8% in 2000
Child stunting (% <5 yrs)
24.8/100
Halved since 2001 (57%), still highest in Karnali (37%)
Child wasting (% <5 yrs)
8/100
Mostly seasonal in Tarai during monsoon; needs ready-to-use therapeutic food access
Child mortality (% <5 yrs)
2.7/100
27 per 1,000 live births — down from 96 in 2000; vaccination drove this
SAARC scoreboard
How Nepal compares to its neighbours on this index, latest year.
What would actually move this
Three concrete actions — each tied to where a comparable country actually moved on this metric.
- 1
Karnali and Sudurpaschim deserve targeted nutrition programmes — the national average hides their concentrated need.
- 2
Fortify staple cereals (rice, wheat) at the mill stage with iron and folic acid.
- 3
School-meal programmes evaluated on micronutrient content, not just calories.
Countries that moved — and how
Real reform episodes from countries roughly our size or context. Each shows that significant movement is possible within a decade.
Brazil 🇧🇷
11.7 → 5.6 (2000 → 2014)
Fome Zero / Bolsa Família — conditional cash, school meals, family-farm purchases — child stunting fell from 14% to 7%.
Vietnam 🇻🇳
24.1 → 11.4 (2000 → 2024)
Rice productivity gains, micronutrient supplementation, near-universal child immunisation, female literacy push.
Peru 🇵🇪
23.0 → 7.5 (2000 → 2024)
Multi-sector "Articulated Nutrition Programme" — water, sanitation, healthcare, nutrition cash bundled per child.
Source · cited verbatim
Concern Worldwide / Welthungerhilfe — Global Hunger Index, 2025
Open the publisher's releaseAll values on this page are taken directly from this source. Year and confidence level is shown on each card. If you find a discrepancy with the publisher's current dataset, please report it.