About the Index
The Global Food Security Index (GFSI) is designed and constructed by Economist Impact (formerly the Economist Intelligence Unit) and sponsored by Corteva Agriscience. It measures the underlying drivers of food security across 113 countries using 68 unique indicators.
The GFSI evaluates countries across four pillars:
- Affordability — food prices relative to income, food safety net programmes, access to financing for farmers
- Availability — sufficiency of national food supply, agricultural research, infrastructure
- Quality and Safety — dietary diversity, nutritional standards, food safety mechanisms
- Natural Resources and Resilience — exposure to climate risks, water availability, land degradation, adaptation measures
The 2022 edition incorporated 14 new indicators to better capture the global and interconnected nature of modern food systems, including farm-level productivity metrics.
Note: The 2022 edition is the latest publicly available GFSI report. No 2023 or 2024 edition has been released as of March 2026.
India’s Performance
India improved its ranking to 68th out of 113 countries with a score of 58.9, up from 71st position (score 57.2) in 2021. The 1.7 percentage-point improvement was driven by gains in affordability and availability parameters.
India performs relatively well on food availability due to its large agricultural production base, but lags on quality and safety metrics, reflecting challenges in dietary diversity, micronutrient deficiency, and food safety enforcement.
Regional / BRICS Comparison
| Country | GFSI Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| China | 25th | 74.2 |
| Brazil | 36th | 69.3 |
| South Africa | 63rd | 60.8 |
| India | 68th | 58.9 |
| Indonesia | 69th | 58.6 |
Key Highlights of Latest Edition
- Global food security declined for the second year in a row, driven by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, supply chain disruptions, and climate shocks
- The overall global GFSI environment score fell to 58.5 in 2022, the largest year-on-year drop since the index began
- High-income countries dominated the top ranks: Finland (1st), Ireland (2nd), Norway (3rd)
- Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia remain the most food-insecure regions globally
- Rising food prices and fertiliser cost inflation disproportionately impacted low-income countries
- The Natural Resources and Resilience pillar saw the sharpest global decline
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: GFSI issuing body, India’s rank, four pillars, top-ranked country Mains GS-3: Food security challenges, National Food Security Act 2013, PDS reforms, impact of climate change on agriculture, India’s nutritional security gaps Interview: “India is a major food producer yet ranks poorly on food security indices. How do you reconcile this?”
