{
  "id": 14682693,
  "title": "Pakistan worst hit by hunger in South Asia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/pakistan-worst-hit-by-hunger-in-south-asia-14682693",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-15T11:07:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn Business",
    "slug": "dawn-business",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2037222/pakistan-worst-hit-by-hunger-in-south-asia"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pakistan topped the South Asian list in the 2026 Global Hunger Index, highlighting a worsening food security crisis driven by economic instability, climate shocks, and global conflicts. The report, released by international organizations, found that progress in the region has largely stalled since 2018, with Pakistan and Afghanistan's situations deteriorating. In Pakistan, economic instability and sharp food price inflation have eroded households' purchasing power, causing undernourishment rates to climb from low in 2018 to medium and child wasting to approach high levels. The regional score for South Asia remained serious at 23.5, down from a concerning 37.5 in 2000, though most of that improvement occurred prior to 2018. While child stunting rates in Pakistan are gradually declining, those in Afghanistan have increased since 2018. The report warned of persistently high levels of acute food insecurity across the region due to heavy rains, flooding, and unfavorable weather conditions. Globally, hunger is rising after two decades of progress, with a global score of 18.1, up from 17.6 in 2018. The crisis is fueled by three of the index's four indicators worsening - undernourishment, child stunting, and child wasting - while child mortality has only slightly declined. Armed conflicts, extreme weather events, and geopolitical tensions are major contributors to this reversal. The report called for reversing funding cuts to humanitarian assistance to prevent and manage future crises.",
  "summary": "• Economic instability erodes household purchasing power; heavy rains, floods trigger acute crop losses • South Asia remains in the ‘serious’ category; global hunger rises after two decades ISLAMABAD: Pakistan recorded the highest score in South Asia on the 2026 Global Hunger Index released on Wednesday, reflecting a worsening food security crisis driven by economic instability, climate shocks…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}