India's ranking and other indicators
Index of Global Multidimensional Poverty
The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2024 estimates that 1.1 billion people in 112 countries—out of a total of 6.3 billion—live in poverty. According to a report released by the United Nations Development Programme, India’s poverty rate dropped from 55.1% in 2005–06 to just 16.4% in 2019–21.
Despite this, the five nations with the highest rates of poverty are the Democratic Republic of the Congo (66 million), Ethiopia (86 million), Nigeria (74 million), Pakistan (93 million), and India (234 million), all of which have low Human Development Indexes (HDIs). Together, these five nations account for nearly half (48.1%) of the world’s 1.1 billion impoverished people.
Children under the age of 18 make up 584 million, or more than half, of the 1.1 billion people who live in poverty. Compared to 13.5 percent of adults worldwide, 27.9 percent of children live in poverty.
Index of World Hunger
With scores based on measures of undernourishment and child mortality across 127 nations, the Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a key tool used by international humanitarian groups to quantify and track hunger levels. India is in the “serious” category of the analysis, coming in at 105th place in the most recent rating. India is now one of 42 nations classified as “serious,” along with Pakistan and Afghanistan, while other South Asian nations like Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have improved their GHI rankings, making them eligible.
India’s score of 27.3 on the 2024 Global Hunger Index indicates a severe level of hunger. Four important indicators are used to calculate India’s GHI score:
According to the research, 2.9 percent of children do not live to their fifth birthday, 18.7 percent of children under five are wasted, 35.5 percent of children under five are stunted, and 13.7 percent of the population is undernourished.
The World Press Freedom Index
According to Reporters, India’s World Press Freedom Index score dropped from 36.62 to 31.28 over the previous 12 months. Reporters sans Frontières, or Without Borders (RSF), creates an annual index that evaluates journalists’ freedom in 180 different jurisdictions.
India’s position rose from 161 in 2023 to 159 in 2024, however this improvement was mostly brought about by other nations’ drops in the rankings. In the RSF index, Norway and Denmark were ranked highest, Eritrea was ranked lowest, and Syria was ranked just above it.
The RSF national report for India stated that after Narendra Modi took office in 2014 and created a “unofficial state of emergency,” the country’s media spectacular rapprochement between his party, the BJP, and the big families dominating the media.”
The Global Gender Gap Index
In the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap index, India dropped two spots to 129th place, while Iceland is still maintain the top position. India is in fifth place in South Asia, behind Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan, while Pakistan comes in last. Sudan is ranked worst out of the 146 nations evaluated globally, while Pakistan has fallen three spots to 145th.
India attained an impressive 65th place in women’s political empowerment and had the strongest gender parity in secondary school enrollment. India is placed 10th in terms of how long both male and female leaders have held office over the previous 50 years.
According to the WEF, the gender gap has shrunk by 68.5 percent worldwide, but if current trends continue, it will take an extra 134 years, or five generations, to achieve full gender parity. Above The gender gap has shrunk by 0.1 percentage points in the last 12 months.
Index of World Happiness
According to the annual World Happiness Report, which evaluates life satisfaction worldwide, Indians rank among the least happy people in the world.
according to elements like freedom, economy, and health. India is now placed 126th out of 143 countries in the most recent survey, which is a little drop from its 125th position the previous year. This puts India behind neighboring nations like Pakistan and Nepal as well as conflict-affected areas like Palestine and Ukraine.
The Oxford Wellbeing Research Center, the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and Gallup collaborated to produce the report. Interestingly, the results show that elderly Indians report higher levels of life satisfaction.
Index of Human Development
After declining in 2021 and remaining steady in the years that followed, India’s Human Development Index (HDI) value increased to 0.644 in 2022.
According to the newly released 2023–24 Human Development Report (HDR), “Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarized World,” India now ranks 134th out of 193 nations and territories. The findings of the 2021–2022 report, which saw the first drop in worldwide HDI values for two years in a row, are expanded upon in the current HDR. India is classified as having a medium level of human development with an HDI value of 0.644. The nation’s HDI value increased by an impressive 48.4% between 1990 and 2022, from 0.434 in 1990 to 0.644 in 2022.
Index of Climate Change Performance
Out of almost 60 nations assessed for their efforts to address climate change, India came up at number ten, despite a drop in two spots from the year before. India’s rapid progress in the use of renewable energy sources and its low per capita emissions are the reasons for this ranking. The top three spots are not determined by the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI 2025) report, which was presented at the annual UN climate conference in Baku. Denmark comes in at number four, followed by the Netherlands. The CCPI tracks how well the world’s largest polluters are doing in terms of emissions, renewable energy, and climate policies. It is created by think tanks such as Germanwatch, New Climate Institute, and Climate Action Network International.
Over the past year, India has achieved significant progress in its renewable energy policy, according to CCPI experts, especially with the adoption of extensive solar energy installations and the introduction of the Rooftop Solar Program. India and the UK are acknowledged as the only two G20 countries with strong CCPI results.
Index of World Peace
According to the research, India has become more tranquil overall by 1.6% for the previous 12 months, which is the highest level of peace since the index’s creation. With an aggregate score of 2.319, India is ranked 116th in the world according to the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2024. From its 126th position in 2023, 139th position in 2020, and 141st position in 2020, this indicates a significant improvement.
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