Summary of Indices & Reports - 2 | Economic Survey & Government Reports - UPSC PDF Download

IMPORTANT GLOBAL INDICES

World Happiness Report 2021

Released By:

• Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations.

About the Report:

• The World Happiness Report ranks 149 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be.
• The rankings are based on polling (Gallup World Poll) which looks at six variables:
  • Gross Domestic Product Per Capita (Purchasing Power Parity).
  • Social Support.
  • Healthy life expectancy at birth.
  • Freedom to make life choices.
  • Generosity.
  • Perceptions of corruption.
• Respondents rate their own current lives on a 0-10 scale.
• Finland has been ranked as the happiest country in the world for the fourth consecutive year.
  • Afghanistan (149) is the most unhappy country.
• India has been ranked 139, out of 149 countries evaluated.

International Happiness Day:

• It highlights the importance of happiness in the diurnal lives of people.
• This resolution was first initiated by Bhutan which emphasised on the importance of national happiness over national income.
• Theme of 2021: “Happiness For All, Forever”.

Technology And Innovation Report 2021

Released By:

• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

About the Report:

• Examines the likelihood of frontier technologies widening existing inequalities and creating new ones.
• Addresses the national and international policies, instruments and institutional reforms that are needed to create a more equal world of opportunity for all.
• India was the biggest ‘overperformer’ in frontier technologies than the country's per capita GDP would suggest.
  • India’s actual index ranking is 43, while the estimated one based on per capita income is 108.

Food Waste Index Report 2021

Released By:

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

About the Report:

• Presents the most comprehensive food waste data collection, analysis and modelling to date.
• Publishes a methodology for countries to measure food waste, at household, food service and retail level, to track national progress towards 2030.
• Unlike the Food Loss Index, it measures total food waste (rather than loss or waste associated with specific commodities).
• Developed Countries like Austria produce very low amounts of waste as compared to developing and less developed countries.

Corruption Perception Index

Released By:

• Transparency International.

About the Index:

• The index ranks 180 countries and territories by the perceived level of public sector corruption according to experts and business people.
• It uses a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
• The highest scoring countries are Denmark and New Zealand, with scores of 88, followed by Finland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland, with scores of 85 each.
  • South Sudan and Somalia are the bottom Countries with scores of 12 each.
• India’s rank is 86th among 180 countries with a score of 40.

Davos Dialogue

Released By:

• World Economic Forum

About the Agenda:

• It is WEF’s annual meeting in Davos (Switzerland) that engages the world's top leaders to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
• It marks the launch of the WEF’s Great Reset Initiative in the post Covid world.

World Food Price Index

Released By:

• Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO)

About the Index:

• Helps in monitoring developments in the global agricultural commodity markets.
• Measures the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities.
  • Measures changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar.
• Base Period: 2014-16.

Human Development Index

Released By:

• United Nations Development Program (UNDP)

About the Index:

• It emphasizes that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone.
• Based on three Basic Dimensions:
  • A long and healthy life
  • Access to knowledge
  • A decent standard of living
• The index forms a part of Human Development Report (HDR) 2020, whose other components include:
  • Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI),
  • Gender Development Index (GDI),
  • Gender Inequality Index (GII) and
  • Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
• Norway topped the index, followed by Ireland and Switzerland
• In the Asian region; Singapore (11), Saudi Arabia (40) and Malaysia (62) were at the top representing “very high human development".
  • India (131), Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Cambodia, Kenya and Pakistan were ranked among countries with “medium human development".

Climate Change Performance Index

Released By:

• The Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute and the Climate Action Network jointly.

About the Index:

• Independently monitors climate protection performance of 57 countries and the European Union which together generate 90%+ of global GHG emissions.
• Enables comparison of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual countries.
• Parameters used:
  • Greenhouse Gas Emissions (40% of the overall score)
  • Renewable Energy (20%)
  • Energy Use (20%)
  • Climate Policy (20%)
• Top three ranks were empty as no country had met the criteria to get placed high enough on the index.
• Only two G20 nations, the UK and India are among the high rankers in CCPI 2021.
  • USA, Canada, South Korea, Russia, Australia and Saudi Arabia are ranked at the bottom of the index.
  • China, the biggest current emitter of GHG, is ranked at the 33rd position.
• Overall, India ranked 10th and scored 63.98 points out of 100.
  • India, in its INDC, pledged to increase the share of non-fossil fuels-based electricity to 40% by 2030.