Important NITI Aayog Indices and Rankings in India

NITI Aayog, the premier policy think tank of the Government of India, designs several indices and rankings. These tools track the developmental progress of states and Union Territories and promote cooperative and competitive federalism across key social and economic sectors. By benchmarking state performances, these indices help regional governments identify developmental gaps.

SDG India Index

The SDG India Index tracks the progress of all states and Union Territories toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Key Facts and Parameters

• First released: December 2018.
• Developed with: United Nations in India.
• Coverage: 16 out of 17 global SDGs, mapping over 100 indicators.
• Exclusion: Goal 17 is excluded from the ranking and assessed qualitatively.
• Scoring: Composite score between 0 and 100.
• Categories: Aspirant (0–49), Performer (50–64), Front-Runner (65–99), and Achiever (100).

Latest Rankings (2023-24 Edition)

• National score: India’s overall score rose to 71 in the fourth edition, up from 66 in the previous assessment.
• Top states: Kerala and Uttarakhand topped the state rankings with a joint score of 79.
• Second rank: Tamil Nadu secured the second rank with a score of 78.
• Lowest score: Bihar registered the lowest score of 57, followed by Jharkhand at 62.
• Top Union Territory: Chandigarh secured the top position among all Union Territories.

Investment Friendliness Index (IFI)

The Investment Friendliness Index assesses how effectively states and Union Territories create and maintain an environment conducive to business investments.

Key Facts and Parameters

• Announced: Formally announced in the Union Budget 2025–26; the first edition was released in July 2026.
• Developed with: CRISIL.
• Purpose: A domestic replacement for the World Bank’s discontinued Ease of Doing Business rankings.
• Data sources: Official government data and an investor perception survey covering 1,850 investors.
• Coverage: 84 indicators across eight pillars: Infrastructure, Business Climate, Resources, Government Policy, Regulatory Ease, Institutional Environment, Financial Health, and Environmental Resilience.
• Categories: Top Performers (score above 50), Frontrunners (45–50), Emerging Performers (40–45), and Aspiring States (below 40).

Latest Rankings (2026 Edition)

• Top performers: Only five states crossed the score of 50 to become Top Performers: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Odisha.
• Overall ranking: Gujarat ranked first overall, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
• Hilly states: Uttarakhand secured the top rank, followed by Assam and Himachal Pradesh.
• Union Territories: Goa emerged at the top, followed by Delhi and Chandigarh.

Export Preparedness Index (EPI)

The Export Preparedness Index ranks states and Union Territories on their export readiness, policy framework, and actual export output.

Key Facts and Parameters

• First published: August 2020.
• Developed with: Institute for Competitiveness.
• Core pillars: Policy & Governance, Export Infrastructure, Trade Ecosystem, and Export Performance.
• Coverage: 70 indicators across 13 sub-pillars.
• Classification: Large States and Small States/North-Eastern States/UTs, further grouped as Leaders, Challengers, and Aspirers.

Latest Rankings (EPI 2024 Edition)

• Large states: Maharashtra secured the first rank with a score of 68.01, reclaiming the top position.
• Second and third: Tamil Nadu ranked second with 64.41, and Gujarat ranked third with 64.02.
• Smaller states/UTs: Uttarakhand topped this group, followed by Jammu & Kashmir and Nagaland.

National Multidimensional Poverty Index (National MPI)

The National MPI measures deprivations directly across health, education, and living standards. It tracks poverty in its multiple dimensions rather than relying solely on monetary income.

Key Facts and Parameters

• Reports: The baseline report came out in 2021, followed by a progress review in 2023.
• Developed with: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI).
• Data source: National Family Health Survey (NFHS), comparing NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-21).
• Methodology: Alkire-Foster methodology.
• Structure: Three equally weighted dimensions broken down into 12 indicators.
• India-specific indicators: Maternal Health and Bank Accounts.

State Energy and Climate Index (SECI)

The State Energy and Climate Index tracks state-level performance in energy transition, accessibility, and environmental safety.

Key Facts and Parameters

• First released: April 2022.
• Indicators: 27 key performing indicators divided into six parameters.
• Parameters: Discoms’ Performance (40%), Access, Affordability and Reliability of Energy (15%), Clean Energy Initiatives (15%), Energy Efficiency (6%), Environmental Sustainability (12%), and New Initiatives (12%).
• Categories: Front Runners, Achievers, and Aspirants.

Latest Rankings (Round 1)

• Large states: Gujarat secured the first rank, followed by Kerala and Punjab.
• Small states: Goa ranked first, followed by Tripura and Manipur.
• Union Territories: Chandigarh scored the highest.

State Health Index

The State Health Index ranks states and Union Territories on their overall performance and year-on-year incremental improvement in health metrics.

Key Facts and Parameters

• Established: 2017.
• Developed with: Technical assistance from the World Bank and in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Framework: Weighted composite index using 24 indicators.
• Domains: Health Outcomes, Governance and Information, and Key Inputs/Processes.
• Classification: Larger States, Smaller States, and Union Territories.

Latest Rankings (Fifth Edition)

• Overall ranking: Kerala ranked first, followed by Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
• Year-on-year improvement: Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Telangana registered the maximum year-on-year improvements.

School Education Quality Index (SEQI)

The School Education Quality Index evaluates the performance of states and Union Territories in the school education sector, focusing on outcome-based indicators.

Key Facts and Parameters

• First published: 2019.
• Developed with: Ministry of Education and the World Bank.
• Coverage: 30 indicators grouped under two categories: Outcomes and Governance Processes Aiding Outcomes.
• Classification: Large States, Small States, and Union Territories.

Latest Rankings (2026 Edition)

• Top rank: Punjab topped the rankings, overtaking Kerala.
• Performance gains: The state registered strong progress in digital infrastructure, school facilities, and standardized learning outcomes.
• Top performer: Manipur emerged as the top performer.
• Union Territories: Chandigarh ranked first.

Composite Water Management Index (CWMI)

The Composite Water Management Index assesses the efficiency of water resource management and conservation across India.

Key Facts and Parameters

• First released: June 2018.
• Prepared with: Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Rural Development.
• Coverage: 28 indicators grouped across nine themes.
• Themes: Groundwater restoration, irrigation management, watershed development, participatory irrigation practices, and rural and urban drinking water supply.

India Innovation Index

The India Innovation Index measures the innovation capabilities and performance of Indian states and Union Territories to help them identify structural challenges and policy gaps.

Key Facts and Parameters

• Developed with: Institute for Competitiveness.
• Framework: “Enabler-Performance” framework.
• Coverage: 50 indicators across seven pillars.
• Segments: Major States, Hilly and North-Eastern States, and Union Territories & City States.

Latest Rankings (Third Edition)

• Major states: Karnataka secured the first rank, followed by Telangana and Haryana.
• Hilly and North-Eastern states: Manipur topped the category.
• Union Territories & City States: Chandigarh scored the highest, followed by Delhi.

Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) Delta Rankings

The Aspirational Districts Programme focuses on improving the socio-economic status of the most underdeveloped districts in India.

Key Facts and Parameters

• Initiated: January 2018.
• Approach: Convergence of central and state schemes, collaboration of officers, and competition among districts.
• Evaluation: Monthly incremental progress across 49 key performance indicators.
• Ranking areas: Health & Nutrition (30%), Education (30%), Agriculture & Water Resources (20%), Financial Inclusion & Skill Development (10%), and Basic Infrastructure (10%).

District Hospital Index

The District Hospital Index evaluates the performance of secondary healthcare institutions across the country to improve service delivery.

Key Facts and Parameters

• Developed with: World Bank and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Data validation: National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH).
• Coverage: 10 key performance indicators.
• Indicators include: Bed occupancy rate, availability of diagnostic services, ratio of doctors to beds, and surgical productivity.

Comparative Summary of Key NITI Aayog Indices

Recent Context

Punjab secured the first rank in the NITI Aayog School Education Quality Index (SEQI) 2026, ahead of Kerala. The state government presented the ranking along with school infrastructure upgrades, learning outcomes, teacher training, and examination support programmes in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh on 6 August 2026.