Reports and Indices Current Affairs MCQs

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The Indian passport climbed five places to rank 80th in the 2026 Henley Passport Index. Indian citizens can travel visa-free or with visa-on-arrival to 55 destinations. In 2025, India was 85th with access to 57 destinations; in 2024, it was also 80th. India shares the 80th spot with Niger and Algeria. Top passports are from Asia: Singapore (1st, visa-free access to 192 destinations), Japan and South Korea (tied 2nd, 188 destinations). The Henley Passport Index ranks passports based on the number of destinations accessible without a prior visa. The data is compiled using statistics from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

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The International Labour Organization (ILO) released its Employment and Social Trends 2026 report in Geneva on 14 January 2026. The report warns that global unemployment will remain at 4.9% in 2026, affecting 186 million people. Employment quality progress has stalled; extreme working poverty declined only 3.1% between 2015–2025. Informal employment is rising, with 2.1 billion workers globally projected to be informally employed by 2026. India accounts for 3% of global manufacturing. India, along with Japan and Korea, is expanding jobs in the renewable energy sector. There is a gap between demand and supply of green-skilled workers in India.

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NITI Aayog released the report “Achieving Efficiencies in MSME Sector through Convergence of Schemes” to strengthen government support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It provides a roadmap to improve MSME outcomes by streamlining scheme implementation, enhancing inter-ministerial coordination, and boosting financial, skill, marketing, and innovation support. The report evaluates existing central and state MSME schemes, examines convergence levels, and identifies best practices from India and abroad.

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The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health released a report on Global Water Bankruptcy. It warns that the planet has entered a Global Water Bankruptcy era. Water Bankruptcy means long-term water use has exceeded renewable supply and safe limits, causing irreversible damage. Rivers, lakes, aquifers, wetlands, soils, and glaciers are degraded beyond full recovery. This differs from water stress, which is high demand but largely reversible. It also differs from water crisis, which is temporary and manageable with restoration. Key causes include chronic overuse of water resources, dam-driven overexpansion, ecological degradation, and climate change intensifying existing water stress.

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Tripura has achieved top ranks in the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0, highlighting excellence in its Panchayati Raj system. Three Tripura Panchayats among the top four reflect strong grassroots governance and efficiency in the state. The recognition sets a benchmark for rural development, inclusive governance, and public service delivery in Tripura. It reinforces Tripura’s reputation as a model state in decentralized governance and village-level administration.

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The Global Appeal 2026 report was recently released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). International Organization for Migration (IOM) requested USD 4.7 billion to support 41 million people worldwide in 2026. The report aligns with IOM’s Strategic Plan 2024–2028 under a humanitarian reset. It highlights record internal displacement of 83.4 million people globally. Climate-related displacement rose sharply to 9.8 million in 2024. 2024 was the deadliest year for migrants with over 9,197 deaths. A major USD 3.4 billion funding gap remains, threatening migrant support efforts.

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India ranked second globally outside the United States in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)–certified building space in 2025. The ranking was released by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). China ranked first outside the US with 26 million gross square meters (GSM), followed by India with 16 million GSM. The United States remains the global leader with over 50 million GSM of LEED-certified space. India showed strong growth in LEED Operations and Maintenance (O+M), highlighting focus on existing building performance.

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Global research and development (R&D) spending reached about 2.87 trillion US dollars in 2024, nearly 3 percent higher than the previous year. Since 2000, global R&D spending has almost tripled, as per World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) data. Asia accounted for around 45 percent of total global R&D expenditure in 2024. China became the world’s largest R&D spender with about 785.9 billion US dollars, closely followed by the United States. The United States spent about 781.8 billion US dollars but saw a decline in its global share. India ranked seventh globally with R&D spending of 75.73 billion US dollars, more than three times its level in 2000.

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India ranked 75th in the latest Henley Passport Index by Henley and Partners, improving 10 places from 85th in 2025. Indian passport allows visa-free travel to 56 countries, one less than last year’s 57. India shares its rank with Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Madagascar, and Mauritania. The index ranks 199 passports and 227 destinations using data from International Air Transport Association. It reflects a country’s foreign policy strength and global standing. Singapore tops the list with visa-free access to 192 countries. Japan and South Korea rank second with 187 access. Maldives ranks 49th among neighbours, while Pakistan and Afghanistan are lowest ranked.

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“Healing Soils in India: For Better Crop Health and Human Nutrition” report released by Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). It highlights soil degradation as major threat to agriculture and nutrition security in India. Main cause is distorted fertilizer subsidy where urea (Nitrogen) gets over 80% subsidy, causing imbalance of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. Faulty practices like monocropping, intensive tillage, rice water stagnation and stubble burning reduce soil carbon.