Reports and Indices Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2025 Report was released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI). Out of 6.3 billion people in 109 countries, 1.1 billion (18.3%) live in acute multidimensional poverty. 43.6% face severe poverty with deprivation in half or more MPI indicators. 83.2% of the poor live in Sub-Saharan Africa (565 million) and South Asia (390 million). In India, multidimensional poverty fell to 16.4% (2019–2021) from 55.1% (2005–06), lifting 414 million people out of poverty. Common deprivations include clean cooking fuel, housing, and sanitation, and over 80% live in climate hazard-prone areas.

Notes:
The Mercer–Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute Global Pension Index 2025 shows India’s pension system covers less than 25% of the workforce. Key schemes like the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), National Pension System (NPS), and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) have limited reach, especially among informal and gig workers. India ranks 45th out of 47 countries, retaining a ‘D’ grade with a score of 43.8, slightly lower than 44 in 2024. The drop reflects weaknesses in sustainability, inclusiveness, and resilience to ageing and climate challenges. India’s pension system now stands among the world’s weakest, alongside Türkiye, Argentina, and the Philippines.

Notes:
The Global Firepower (GFP) Index 2025 ranks the world’s strongest militaries using over 60 factors like manpower, defense budgets, logistics, and technology. The United States ranks 1st, with over $860 billion defense budget, advanced technology, and global reach across land, sea, air, and cyber domains. Russia holds the 2nd position, backed by its massive tank, artillery, and nuclear arsenal, along with modernization of S-500 air defense and hypersonic missile programs. China ties with Russia, driven by rapid military modernization, focus on cyber warfare, and expansion of its blue-water navy. India ranks 4th, emphasizing Atmanirbhar Bharat and indigenous defense projects like Tejas Mk1A, Arihant-class submarines, and BrahMos upgrades.

Notes:
The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2025 report was released on November 3, 2025, by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The report revealed that 1.7 billion people live in regions where agricultural output is shrinking due to human-induced land degradation. India is among the countries with the highest yield loss caused by land degradation. Agricultural expansion remains the main cause of global deforestation, responsible for 90% of forest loss. Between 2001 and 2023, cropland expanded by 78 million hectares (mha), while pastures shrank by 151 mha. The world has 570 million farms, and 85% are smaller than 2 hectares, cultivating only 9% of farmland.

Notes:
In the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026, nine of the top 10 Indian institutions — including seven IITs — saw a decline in ranks, while universities in China, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia advanced. IIT Delhi remains India’s top-ranked institution at 59th, but dropped 15 places from last year’s 44th rank. IIT Bombay saw the sharpest fall, slipping 23 positions to rank 71, after leading among Indian institutions from 2021–2024. Chandigarh University was the only Indian institution to improve, rising from 120th to 109th rank. The University of Hong Kong topped the list globally, followed by Peking University (China) and National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) sharing third.

Notes:
Madurai drew public attention after Swachh Survekshan 2025 rankings went viral, labelling it among India’s dirtiest cities. As per the Swachh Survekshan 2025 report, Madurai in Tamil Nadu (TN) was ranked the dirtiest city among Indian cities with a population above 10 lakh. The city scored well in cleanliness of markets, water bodies, and residential zones but fared poorly in waste processing (4%), toilet cleanliness (3%), door-to-door collection (37%), segregation (26%), and dumpsite remediation (25%). Madurai generates 850–900 tonnes of waste daily, with 60% wet waste. 30 micro compost centres and a biogas plant at Vellakkal yard are being developed.

Notes:
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) released the State of the Climate Update for COP30. 2025 is projected to be the 2nd or 3rd warmest year on record. The last 11 years, including 2025, are the warmest 11 years in recorded history. This indicates global efforts are not on track to meet the Paris Agreement climate goals. The period 2015–2025 will be the warmest 11-year span in 176 years. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) reached record levels in 2024 and continue rising in 2025. Renewable energy adoption is expanding. Climate action plans are increasingly guided by science-based climate services

Notes:
The World Economic Forum (WEF) released a new report titled “Shaping the Deep-Tech Revolution in Agriculture” on November 7, 2025. The report was launched under WEF’s Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture Initiative (AI4AI), established in 2021 to promote inclusive and sustainable farming. It identifies seven deep-tech domains driving agri-transformation — Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), Computer Vision, Robotics, Edge Internet of Things (IoT), Satellite-enabled Remote Sensing, CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), and Nanotechnology. These technologies can transform how crops are grown, monitored, protected, and distributed, boosting productivity, resilience, and sustainability.

Notes:
India ranks 9th among the ten countries most affected by extreme weather events in the Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2026 by Germanwatch, released at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. The index covers data from 1995 to 2024, showing India’s rising vulnerability to heat waves, floods, and cyclones. India faced nearly 430 extreme weather events, causing over 80,000 deaths, affecting 1.3 billion people, and inflicting $170 billion in losses. The report calls India a nation facing continuous climate threats with little recovery time between disasters. Floods, landslides, heat waves, and cyclones like Amphan (2020), Fani (2019), and Hudhud (2014) caused major destruction

Notes:
India Ratings & Research (Ind-Ra) projected India’s GDP growth at 7.2% for Q2 FY26 (July–September), driven by strong private consumption and a resilient services sector. India’s GDP grew 5.6% in Q2 FY25 and 7.8% in Q1 FY26, the fastest in five quarters. The National Statistical Office (NSO) will release official GDP data on November 28, 2025. Growth was supported by steady real income rise among both upper- and lower-income groups. From the supply side, growth came from a resilient services sector and manufacturing exports aided by a favourable base effect. Retail inflation eased faster than expected, boosting real wages and consumption.