Reports and Indices Current Affairs MCQs

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Kolkata has again emerged as India’s safest city with the lowest number of cognisable offences per lakh population in 2023. Kolkata recorded 83.9 cognisable offences per lakh people, lowest among 19 cities with over 20 lakh population, as per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report 2023. Kochi was the worst performer with 3,192.4 offences per lakh, followed by Delhi (2,105.3) and Surat (1,377.1). Hyderabad (332.3), Pune (337.1), and Mumbai (355.4) were the next safest cities.

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International Labour Organization (ILO) released “The State of Social Justice: A Work in Progress” ahead of the Second World Summit for Social Development, Doha 2025, marking 30 years of the 1995 Copenhagen Summit on Social Development. The report highlights that despite improvements in education, poverty reduction, and productivity over the last 30 years, inequalities, low trust in institutions, and slow sectoral progress hinder global social justice. Social justice means every individual, regardless of race, belief, or gender, has the right to material prosperity and spiritual growth in freedom, respect, and equal opportunity. Between 1995-2024, child labour fell from 250 million to 106 million, work-related mortality declined by over 10%, secondary school completion rose by 22 percentage points.

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The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Report 2023 was released by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the World Health Summit, Berlin. India’s disease burden has shifted from infectious diseases to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) from 1990 to 2023. NCDs, also called chronic diseases, are not contagious and include cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, etc. NCDs result from genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioral factors and are long-term in nature. Mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, have sharply increased from 2013–2023. Air pollution is among India’s top three causes of early death and disability.

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The Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Ecological Connectivity and Land Restoration was launched at the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi. The report was prepared by the UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) and the CMS (Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals). It urges countries to integrate ecological connectivity in land, water, and infrastructure planning. Ecological connectivity means the unimpeded movement of species, connection of habitats, and flow of natural processes sustaining life. These processes include the flow of organisms, energy, nutrients, water, sediments, information, knowledge, and culture.

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NITI Aayog released the report “India’s Blue Economy: Strategy for Harnessing Deep-Sea and Offshore Fisheries” in October 2025. India is the second-largest fish producer globally, contributing 8% of world production and supporting 30 million livelihoods. Fishery exports earned ₹60,523 crore in FY 2023–24. India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) spans over 2 million sq. km, with 11,098 km coastline across 9 coastal states and 4 Union Territories. Deep-sea fisheries beyond the continental shelf remain largely unexploited, with an estimated potential yield of 7.16 million tonnes. Report proposes a science-based, technology-enabled, socially inclusive, ecologically sustainable framework for deep-sea and offshore fisheries.

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India registered 2.52 crore births in 2023, around 2.32 lakh fewer than in 2022, according to the Vital Statistics of India based on the Civil Registration System (CRS). The report was compiled by the Registrar General of India (RGI). Total deaths registered in 2023 were 86.6 lakh, slightly higher than 86.5 lakh in 2022. No major spike in deaths occurred in 2022-2023, though COVID-19 deaths totaled 5,33,665 as of May 5, 2025. Excess deaths were high in 2021, with 102.2 lakh deaths compared to 81.2 lakh in 2020. Jharkhand had the lowest sex ratio at birth at 899, Arunachal Pradesh the highest at 1,085. Institutional births accounted for 74% of total registered births in 2023. Five States reported 80–90% registration, while 14 States reported 50–80% registration.

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India’s passport ranks 85th in the 2025 Henley Passport Index, down five places from 2024. Indian citizens can travel visa-free to 57 countries, down from 59 last year. The Henley Passport Index ranks all 199 passports based on visa-free mobility. Singapore tops the index with access to 193 destinations, followed by South Korea and Japan, showing Asia’s growing dominance. European countries like Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland feature prominently in the top 10. Indians can travel visa-free to 12 countries, including Bhutan, Indonesia, Mauritius, Nepal, and Trinidad and Tobago.

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The 2025 Global Hunger Index (GHI) report was launched on October 10, 2025, covering 136 countries. It is published by Concern Worldwide (Ireland), Welthungerhilfe (Germany), and Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV). At least 56 countries will not reach low hunger or the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of zero hunger by 2030. The global GHI score in 2025 is 18.3, barely improved from 19.0 in 2016, keeping hunger in the moderate category. India ranks 102nd among 123 countries with a GHI score of 25.8, classified as serious hunger.

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Recently, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), India’s only International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), climbed three ranks to 43rd in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 38). In the FinTech Index, it rose five places to 35th, showing strong growth in innovation and regulation. The GFCI 38, released by the Z/Yen Group, assessed 135 financial centres using 140 global indicators from the World Bank, OECD, and the United Nations. GIFT City remains among the top 15 centres in the Asia-Pacific and is the only Indian city in the list. It is also featured among the “15 centres likely to become more significant” globally, reflecting India’s rising influence in international finance.

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The global economy is shifting from resilience (2022–2024) to economic unilateralism in 2025, driven by rising tariffs between long-standing trade partners. In the Hinrich-IMD Sustainable Trade Index (STI) 2025, the United Kingdom ranks No. 1, ending New Zealand’s three-year lead. Australia and Singapore retained No. 3 and No. 4, while South Korea and Hong Kong (SAR) climbed, and Japan slipped two places. The United States is No. 9, showing reduced reliance on natural resource exports and lower per capita carbon emissions. India ranks 23rd overall with a score of 33.2/100. India shows moderate economic strength, modest social progress, and ongoing environmental challenges in sustainability.