Indexes and Reports MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Indexes and Reports - Download Free PDF

The Correct Answer is ​Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

In News

• Release of Publication "EnviStats India 2025: Environment Statistics".

Key Points

• EnviStats India 2025 is the 8th edition released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

• It is prepared annually by the National Statistics Office (NSO).

• Follows UN's FDES 2013 for global comparability.

• Annual mean temperature rose from 25.05°C (2001) to 25.74°C (2024).

• Annual rainfall shows year-to-year variation with no clear long-term trend.

• India has 20,613 marine faunal species out of 2,47,605 globally.

• Inland fish production rose from 61.36 lakh tonnes (2013–14) to 139.07 lakh tonnes (2023–24).

• Environment Sustainability Sector had the highest expenditure: Rs. 2433.24 crore in 2021–22.

The correct answer is Statement 1, Statement 2, and Statement 4.

• Statement 1 is correct as the tropical primary forest loss reached 6.7 million hectares in 2024, nearly double the loss compared to 2023, equivalent to the loss of 18 soccer fields every minute.
• Statement 2 is correct because nearly 50% of all tropical primary forest loss in 2024 was due to fires, releasing 4.1 gigatons of greenhouse gases, more than four times the emissions from global air travel in 2023.
• Statement 3 is incorrect because Brazil's contribution to tropical primary forest loss was 42%, but the loss was largely due to fires, not mining or plantations as stated.
• Statement 4 is correct because India did lose 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000, including 414,000 hectares of humid primary forest, and despite emitting 51 million tons of CO₂, Indian forests act as a net carbon sink absorbing 89.9 million tons annually.

In News

• The Global Forest Watch Report 2025 highlights unprecedented global forest loss in 2024, largely due to catastrophic wildfires.

Key Points

• Tropical primary forest loss reached 6.7 million hectares in 2024, nearly double that of 2023, equating to the loss of 18 soccer fields every minute.
• Fires accounted for nearly 50% of all tropical primary forest loss, releasing 4.1 gigatons of greenhouse gases—over four times the emissions from global air travel in 2023.
• Total tree cover loss increased by 5% to 30 million hectares, an area the size of Italy, with major fire seasons in tropical and boreal forests, especially in Canada and Russia.
• Brazil contributed 42% of tropical primary forest loss, with 66% due to fires amid the worst drought on record; Amazon and Pantanal regions suffered highest losses since 2016.
• Indonesia reduced primary forest loss, though plantation and mining-driven deforestation remain concerns.

Additional Information

• A new high-resolution (1 km) global dataset was launched with Land & Carbon Lab and Google DeepMind, enabling detailed analysis of deforestation drivers like agriculture, wildfires, and logging.
• India lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000, including 414,000 hectares of humid primary forest between 2002-2023.
• Indian forests act as a net carbon sink, absorbing about 89.9 million tons of CO₂ annually despite emitting 51 million tons.
• The report warns the world is off track to meet the Glasgow Leaders Declaration target of halting forest loss by 2030; 17 of the 20 largest primary forest countries saw increased losses since 2021.
• The 2024 data is described as a “global red alert,” calling for urgent collective action to protect forests crucial for climate, biodiversity, and human well-being.

The incorrect option is Option 2: The highest MMR among Indian states is reported in Karnataka, which has a ratio of 175.

• Explanation: Karnataka is actually one of the best performers with the lowest MMR among major states, recorded at 63.

In News

• India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio continues to decline significantly, showcasing progress in maternal healthcare and policy impact.

Key Points

• India’s MMR declined to 93 per 100,000 live births during 2019–21, meeting the National Health Policy target ahead of time.
• States like Madhya Pradesh and Assam report higher MMRs, while Karnataka has the lowest among major states.
• India’s MMR reduction of 86% since 1990 surpasses the global average decline of 48%.
• Government schemes and improved healthcare infrastructure have played key roles in this progress.

Additional Information

• Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): Number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births; a key indicator of maternal health.
• National Health Policy (NHP) Target: Aims to reduce MMR below 100 per 100,000 live births by 2020.
• State Disparities: Regional differences in MMR reflect varying healthcare access and socio-economic factors.
• UN SDG Goal: India is progressing towards reducing MMR below 70 by 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals framework.

Important Points

• State-wise and Demographic Insights:
  • States with High MMR: Madhya Pradesh (175), Assam (167), Uttar Pradesh (151), Odisha (135), Chhattisgarh (132), West Bengal (109), and Haryana (106) continue to report higher-than-average MMRs.
  • Best Performers: Karnataka’s MMR has reduced to 63, the lowest among major Indian states.
  • Age Groups: The highest MMR is observed in the 20–29 age group, followed by 30–34 years.
• Global Context: The global MMR fell by about 40% from 2000 to 2023, while India’s reduction is notably sharper.

The incorrect statement is in Option 3, which is India ranks higher than Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka in the 2025 index.​

• Option 1 is correct: India improved its rank to 151st in 2025 from 159th in 2024.
• Option 2 is correct: Norway topped the World Press Freedom Index in 2025.
• Option 3 is incorrect: India ranks lower than Nepal (90th), Maldives (104th), and Sri Lanka (139th).
• Option 4 is correct: The report highlights worsening global press freedom, with significant restrictions affecting over half the world’s population.

In News

• India’s position improved slightly in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index but remains in the “very serious” category for press freedom challenges.

Key Points

• ​India ranks 151st out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), improving by 8 places from 159th in 2024.
• Score: India scored 32.96 in the 2025 report.
• Trend: India’s ranking has declined significantly over the past two decades, from 80th in 2002 to 151st, with a notable drop from 140th in 2019.
• Challenges: Despite the improvement, India remains in the "very serious" category for press freedom, facing issues like media monopolization, political and economic pressures on journalists, misuse of sedition laws, and censorship on digital platforms.
• Regional Comparison: India ranks lower than several neighbors like Nepal (90th), Maldives (104th), Sri Lanka (139th), and Bangladesh (149th), but ahead of Pakistan (158th), Myanmar (169th), Afghanistan (175th), and China (178th).
• Global Context: Norway tops the index with a score of 92.31, while countries with the worst press freedom include Eritrea (180th), North Korea (179th), China (178th), Syria (177th), and Iran (176th).
• Global Concerns: The RSF 2025 report highlights the "difficult" global press freedom situation for the first time in history, emphasizing threats like economic fragility and politically connected funding undermining editorial independence. Over half the world’s population lives in countries with severely restricted press freedom.

The correct answer is Option 3.

In News

• The World Wealth Report 2025 reveals a rise in India’s HNWI wealth by 8.8% in 2024, with over 378,000 millionaires. The report shows the United States as the leader in the growth of HNWI populations and highlights significant global trends, such as increasing investments in alternative assets like private equity and cryptocurrencies.

Key Points

• Statement 1:The report is released by Capgemini Research Institute, covering 71 countries, representing 98% of global GNI. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.
• Statement 2:India’s HNWI wealth grew by 8.8%, not 5.6%. The 5.6% figure refers to population growth, not wealth. Hence, Statement 2 is incorrect.
• Statement 3: HNWIs are divided into:
  • Ultra-HNWIs: $30M+
  • Mid-Tier Millionaires: $5M–30M
  • Millionaires Next Door: $1M–5M Hence, Statement 3 is correct.
• Statement 4:The U.S. added 562,000 millionaires, leading global growth in HNWI population. Hence, Statement 4 is correct.

The correct answer is New Zealand.

Key Points

• The Human Freedom Index 2020, a worldwide ranking of civil, economic, and personal freedom, placed India at the 111th spot out of 162 countries.
• Human Freedom Index was published by American think tank Cato Institute and Fraser Institute in Canada.
• India ranked 94 on the index in the year 2019.
• India ranked 111th is ahead of China and Bangladesh, which ranked 129 and 139 on the 2020 index respectively.
• New Zealand, Switzerland, and Hong Kong bagged the first three spots.
• New Zealand:
  • Capital - Wellington.
  • Currency - New Zealand dollar.
  • Prime Minister - Jacinda Ardern.
  • National Sport - Rugby.

The correct answer is Jammu and Kashmir.

Key Points

• Home Minister Amit Shah released the first ‘District Good Governance Index’ for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on 22 January 2022.
• The Jammu district has emerged on top, while the Srinagar district has come at the fifth position.
• The index has been prepared by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in collaboration with the government of Jammu and Kashmir.

Important Points

• The erstwhile state of J&K was split into two Union Territories in 2019 and the Centre took direct charge.
• The 20 districts in the UT of J&K were assessed now in 10 sectors.
• Jammu district was followed by the Doda and Samba districts of the Jammu Division.
• This was followed by the Pulwama district of the Srinagar Division at the fourth spot.
• The district of Rajouri finished at the last spot, while Poonch and Shopian districts also featured towards the end of the rankings.
• The 20 districts were also separately ranked under the various sectors.
• Jammu district ranked best on ‘Commerce and Industry sector, while Srinagar district ranked best on the ‘Public Infrastructure and Utilities’ sector.

Additional Information

• Jammu and Kashmir:
  • Number of Districts - 20.
  • Dams - Baglihar Dam (Chenab River), Dulhasti Dam (Chenab River), Uri-II Dam (Jhelum River).
  • National Parks - Dachigam National Park, Salim Ali National Park, Kazinag National Park, Kishtwar High Altitude National Park.

The correct answer is UNDP.

• The Human Development Index (HDI) is an index that is published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• It measures key dimensions of human development. The three key dimensions are - 
  • A long and healthy life
  • Access to education
  • A decent standard of living  

About UNDP

• Headquarters - New York, United States
• Administrator - Achim Steiner
• Member Countries - 170 (Oct-2020)

The Correct Answer is ​Byrnihat.

In News

• Meghalaya's Byrnihat India's most polluted city In 2023.

Key Points

• Byrnihat in Meghalaya topped the list of the most polluted cities in India in 2023, closely followed by Begusarai in Bihar and Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
• Delhi, known for its persistently high air pollution levels during winter, ranked as the eighth most polluted city, the report by independent think tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
• 227 cities with air quality data available for over 75 percent of the days in 2023 were studied.

The correct answer is 40.

Key Points

• India secured the 40th position in the Global Innovation Index.
• This is the first time the country entered the top 40. 
• The 2022 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII) tracks the most recent global innovation trends against the background of an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
• Slow productivity growth and other evolving challenges.
• It reveals the most innovative economies in the world, ranking the innovation performance of around 132 economies while highlighting innovation strengths and weaknesses.

Additional Information

• Switzerland is the most innovative economy in the world in 2022 - for the 12th year in a row - followed by the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
• The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Thursday released the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022.

Important Points

• Global Innovation Index 2023
• Top 10 Countries in GII:

• Last 10 Countries in GII:

The correct answer is Norway.

Key Points

• The 2021 edition of the EIU’s Democracy Index was released on 10 February 2022.
• Since the year 2006, the Economist Intelligence has been bringing forth the state of democracy worldwide in around 165 independent nations and two territories through its democracy index.
• It was topped by Norway.
• India was ranked 46th out of 165 nations.

In News

• India at 108th Position in Electoral Democracy Index 2023: India has now been ranked at the 108th spot globally for electoral democracy, by V-Dem Institute in its Electoral Democracy Report for 2023.

Important Points

•  The annual index, which provides a measurement of the state of global democracy, reveals an overall score of 5.28, down from 5.37 in 2020.
• According to EIU’s measure of democracy, less than half (45.7%) of the world’s population now live in a democracy of some sort, which is a significant decline from 2020 (49.4%).
• Even fewer (6.4%) reside in a “full democracy”; this level is slightly down from 8.4% in 2020, after two countries (Chile and Spain) were downgraded to “flawed democracies”.
• Substantially more than a third of the world’s population (37.1%) live under authoritarian rule, a large share of which are in China. 

The correct answer is rich countries.

• According to the World Development Report, countries having per capita income of more than US$12,000 per annum as on 2016 are called rich countries.

Key Points

• World Bank published the 2020 Atlas of the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Sustainable Development Goals seek to guide global action to address many of the world’s greatest challenges such as eradicating poverty, eliminating hunger, expanding access to education, achieving gender equality, and addressing the climate crisis.​

Important Points

The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:

• GOAL 1: No Poverty
• GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
• GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
• GOAL 4: Quality Education
• GOAL 5: Gender Equality
  GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
• GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
• GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
• GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
• GOAL 13: Climate Action
• GOAL 14: Life Below Water
• GOAL 15: Life on Land
• GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
• GOAL 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goal​

The correct answer is Andhra Pradesh.

Key Points

• Andhra Pradesh secured the first rank among police forces of the country in a survey conducted by the Indian Police Foundation (IPF).
• The survey, conducted in 28 states and Union Territories of the country assessed the force on competence, values, and public trust.
• Telangana ranked second while Assam was third.
• Kerala, Gujarat, and Delhi were ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.

Important Points

• From bottom upwards are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Punjab.
• The IPF Smart Policing Index 2021 surveyed 10 sets of questionnaires, which included six indices of “Competence-Based Indicators” dealing with issues such as police sensitivity, accessibility, responsiveness and technology adoption among others.
• It had three indices of “Value-Based indicators” dealing with integrity of the police; and one index of “Trust”.
• In Fair and Unbiased Policing category, the best performing states are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Kerala and Gujarat. From the bottom are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Nagaland and Jharkhand.
• In Helpful and Friendly Policing, the best performing states are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Sikkim and Kerala. The worst are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Nagaland.
• In Police Accountability, the top states are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Kerala and Odisha, while Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh are at the bottom.

The correct answer is 87th.

Confusion Points

• India's current position in the Hensley passport Index 2022 is 87th.
• India was ranked  83rd initially in the report when it was launched on 11 Jan 2022 but later dropped to 84th rank.
• Then Armenia decided to drop India from their free visa entry scheme.
• So, now India's ranking was dropped by two places and it stands at 87th rank.
• The ranking was updated by Henley Global on 12 Jan 2022.

Key Points

• India’s passport was ranked at 83rd position in the Henley Passport Index earlier, climbing six places from 90th rank in 2021.
• However, in 2020, its rank stood at 84 while in 2016, India was ranked 85th along with Mali and Uzbekistan.
• Japan and Singapore top the index in 2022 ranking.
• Germany and South Korea hold onto the joint 2nd spot in 2022.
• Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain share 3rd place.
• Afghanistan is ranked at the bottom (112th position).

Important Points

• Indian passport holders now have visa-free access to 60 nations.
• Passport holders from Japan and Singapore can travel visa-free to 192 countries.
• The index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa and is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
• Link: https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index/ranking

Additional Information

• International Air Transport Association:
  • Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
  • Founded on: 19 April 1945
  • Chairman: William M. Walsh
• Henley & Partners:
  • Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
  • Founded in: 1997

The correct answer is 150th.

Key Points

• India's ranking in the World Press Freedom Index 2022 has fallen down to 150th position from 142nd rank in 2021, out of 180 countries.
• 2023: India is ranked at 161 out of 180 countries.
• Norway (1st), Denmark (2nd), Sweden (3rd) Estonia (4th) and Finland (5th) grabbed the top positions.
• North Korea remained at the bottom of the list.
• Pakistan was at 157th position, Sri Lanka at 146th, Bangladesh at 162nd, and Maynmar at 176th position.

Important Points

•  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released the World Press Freedom Index 2022, which assesses the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories.
• The Index highlights the disastrous effects of news and information chaos – the effects of a globalized and unregulated online information space that encourages fake news and propaganda.
• According to the RSF 2022 World Press Freedom Index, Nepal has climbed up by 30 points in the global ranking at 76th position.
• Last year, the Himalayan nation had been placed at 106th position, Pakistan at 145th, Sri Lanka 127th, Bangladesh 152nd and Myanmar at 140th position in the index.
• Russia was placed at 155th position, down from 150th last year, while China climbed up by two positions with the Reporters Without Borders placing it at 175th position.
• Last year, China was placed at 177th position.