When Dawn ran the headline “Pakistan worst hit by hunger in South Asia,” the story was seized as proof that Pakistan is the region’s starving nation. The reality is messier: the FAO‑UN Global Hunger Index gave Pakistan a score of **25.5**, the highest in South Asia but still within the “serious” band (20‑34.9). India sits at 24.1, Bangladesh at 19.2, and Afghanistan at 28.6. The same report shows the score fell from **36.2 in 2000** – a dramatic improvement – yet rose from **24.0 in 2018**, driven by worsening under‑nourishment and child‑wasting trends (Dawn, 15 Oct 2026).
The numbers behind the headline
The Global Hunger Index aggregates four indicators: under‑nourishment, child wasting, child stunting and child mortality. Dawn notes that under‑nourishment has moved from a low to a medium level since 2018, while child wasting edges toward the high threshold. South Asia’s regional average is **23.5**, down from **37.5** in 2000, and the global average sits at **18.1** (up slightly from 17.6 in 2018). Pakistan’s figure is therefore worse than the regional trend but far from the “extremely alarming” band (35‑50). The headline masks both the long‑term progress and the still‑serious gap.
Why the headline fuels outrage
Political voices have turned the statistic into a cudgel. Veteran journalist Hamid Mir tweeted that Pakistan “recorded the highest score in South Asia,” framing it as a crisis of governance. PTI’s official account added that the “illegal regime has taken billions in loans while ordinary citizens suffer.” Both posts repeat the ranking without offering new data, turning a single number into a weaponised narrative.
