I have written extensively about India’s economic rise and how the people are witnessing their economy expand in real time. Manufacturing is growing, foreign investment is pouring into technology and infrastructure, and an emerging middle class is finally experiencing opportunities that previous generations could only dream of. Yet there is another side to India that cannot be ignored. The 2026 Global Hunger Index ranked India 100th out of 122 countries, placing one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies in the category of serious hunger.
The numbers are disturbing. According to the Global Hunger Index, 9.8% of India’s population remains undernourished. Nearly three out of every ten children under five, or 29.3%, suffer from stunted growth, while an astonishing 19% experience wasting, meaning their weight is dangerously low relative to their height. The under-five mortality rate stands at 2.7%. These are children who are being deprived of the nutrition necessary for proper physical and cognitive development during the most critical years of their lives. This is not simply a matter of families being unable to afford certain luxuries. We are talking about basic food security in a country that has become an increasingly important player in the world economy.
India’s population exceeds 1.4 billion people. Even a relatively small percentage represents an enormous number of human beings. A 9.8% undernourishment rate translates into roughly 140 million people when applied to that population. That is an entire nation of people living without sufficient nutrition. Meanwhile, India is attracting multinational corporations, expanding its manufacturing base, and competing with China for international investment. Generations of the caste systems still prevail despite it being dismantled.
There has certainly been progress. India’s child stunting rate has fallen from approximately 50% in 2000 to 29.3%, and its overall hunger score has improved considerably over the past two decades. Now India received a hunger score of 24.1 in 2026, still within the serious category, and its child wasting rate remains exceptionally high.
The expansion of technology centers in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and other major cities has created opportunities for skilled workers and attracted substantial foreign capital. But a farmer in a remote village does not automatically benefit because an American corporation establishes another technology operation in India. Growth in national GDP does not mean every household experiences an equivalent improvement in living standards.
Capital is moving toward the country because businesses recognize its enormous domestic market, young population, and expanding industrial capacity. India does not need to become another China to succeed, nor should its progress be dismissed because it has not yet eliminated poverty.
Nevertheless, there is a considerable difference between becoming a major economic power and achieving widespread prosperity. India can report impressive GDP growth while millions of families continue living in conditions that should be unacceptable for a nation with such extraordinary resources and capabilities. A nation cannot measure its success solely by stock market performance, manufacturing output, or the number of multinational corporations establishing operations within its borders. The real achievement will come when economic expansion reaches the families who have been excluded from prosperity for generations
