KATHMANDU: Nepal ranks 73 among 107 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2020, the report released on Friday said.

According to the report, with a score of 19.5, Nepal has a level of hunger that is “moderate”.

In the index, Nepal is much above its neighbor India (94), Pakistan (88), Bangladesh (75),  among others.

The Global Hunger Index is a peer-reviewed annual report, jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels.

“Data from 1991 through 2014 for Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan showed that stunting is concentrated among children from households facing multiple forms of deprivation, including poor dietary diversity, low levels of maternal education, and household poverty,” the GHI report stated.

“In many countries the situation is improving too slowly, while in others it is worsening. For 46 countries in the moderate, serious, or alarming categories, GHI scores have improved since 2012, but for 14 countries in those categories, GHI scores show that hunger and under nutrition have worsened.

The latest GHI projections show that 37 countries will fail to achieve even low hunger by 2030,” the report said.

According to its website, the GHI scores are calculated each year to assess progress and setbacks in combating hunger. It is calculated on the basis of four indicators — undernourishment, child wasting, the share of children under the age of five who are wasted (that is, whichhave low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition); child stunting, children under the age of five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition; and child mortality, the mortality rate of children under the age of five.