Important Indices and Reports and Who Publishes Them: List of Global Indices, Organisations and Reports for SSC Current Affairs
Rahul Kumar
SSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
In this note
- 1.Economic and Development Indices
- 2.Social and Political Indices
- 3.Environment and Climate Indices
- 4.Technology and Others
- 5.Indices Published by NITI Aayog (India)
- 6.Other Important Indian Reports
- 7.Tricks to Remember
- 8.Quick Tips
- 9.Quick Revision Points
- 10.Practice Questions With Answers
- 11.How to Practise This Chapter
- 12.Frequently Asked Questions
PDF Notes: Important Indices and Reports and Who Publishes Them: List of Global Indices, Organisations and Reports for SSC Current Affairs
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Every year several global and national indices are released, and SSC asks “Which organisation publishes this index?” or “Which report is published by this body?”. The publishing organisation rarely changes, so this knowledge stays useful for years. This guide on important indices and reports for SSC gives the publisher of every major index and report, grouped by theme, along with the indices of NITI Aayog and practice questions.
Note: the ranks of countries change every year, so check the latest edition for current rankings. The publishers listed here are stable.
Economic and Development Indices
| Index or Report | Published By |
|---|---|
| Human Development Index (HDI) / Human Development Report | UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) |
| Global Competitiveness Report | World Economic Forum (WEF) |
| World Competitiveness Ranking | IMD, Switzerland |
| Global Innovation Index | WIPO, with Cornell University and INSEAD |
| Logistics Performance Index | World Bank |
| Ease of Doing Business Report (discontinued in 2021) | World Bank |
| World Economic Outlook | IMF |
| Global Economic Prospects | World Bank |
| World Development Report | World Bank |
| World Investment Report | UNCTAD |
| Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) | UNDP and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) |
| Global Wealth Report | UBS (earlier Credit Suisse) |
| Travel and Tourism Development Index | World Economic Forum |
Social and Political Indices
| Index or Report | Published By |
|---|---|
| Global Hunger Index (GHI) | Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe |
| Global Gender Gap Report | World Economic Forum |
| World Happiness Report | UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) |
| World Press Freedom Index | Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Paris |
| Democracy Index | Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) |
| Freedom in the World | Freedom House |
| Corruption Perceptions Index | Transparency International, Berlin |
| Global Peace Index and Global Terrorism Index | Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) |
| Global Slavery Index | Walk Free Foundation |
| State of the World’s Children | UNICEF |
| World Population Prospects | United Nations (UN DESA) |
| Henley Passport Index | Henley and Partners |
| Global Liveability Index | Economist Intelligence Unit |
Environment and Climate Indices
| Index or Report | Published By |
|---|---|
| Environmental Performance Index (EPI) | Yale University and Columbia University |
| Climate Change Performance Index | Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network |
| Global Climate Risk Index | Germanwatch |
| Emissions Gap Report | UNEP |
| World Air Quality Report | IQAir (Switzerland) |
| State of Forest Report (India) | Forest Survey of India (biennial) |
| Global Forest Resources Assessment | FAO |
| Living Planet Report | WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) |
| Red List of threatened species | IUCN |
Technology and Others
| Index or Report | Published By |
|---|---|
| Global Cybersecurity Index | ITU (International Telecommunication Union) |
| Network Readiness Index | Portulans Institute |
| Global Financial Development Report | World Bank |
| Global Financial Stability Report | IMF |
| Global Energy Review | International Energy Agency (IEA) |
| World Energy Outlook | International Energy Agency |
| World Tourism Barometer | UN Tourism (UNWTO) |
Indices Published by NITI Aayog (India)
| Index | Purpose |
|---|---|
| SDG India Index | Progress of states and union territories on the Sustainable Development Goals |
| India Innovation Index | Innovation performance of states |
| Composite Water Management Index | Water management by states |
| School Education Quality Index (SEQI) | Quality of school education |
| Health Index (Healthy States, Progressive India) | Health performance of states (with World Bank and MoHFW) |
| National Multidimensional Poverty Index | Poverty across health, education and living standards |
| Export Preparedness Index | Export readiness of states |
| Energy Efficiency and Fiscal Health Index | Performance of states |
Other Important Indian Reports
| Report or Index | Published By |
|---|---|
| Economic Survey | Ministry of Finance (Chief Economic Adviser), before the Union Budget |
| Handbook of Statistics on the Indian Economy | Reserve Bank of India |
| Financial Stability Report | RBI (twice a year) |
| Consumer Price Index (CPI) | NSO, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation |
| Wholesale Price Index (WPI) | Office of the Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce and Industry |
| Index of Industrial Production (IIP) | NSO |
| Crime in India Report | National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) |
| State of India’s Environment | Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) |
| Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) | Pratham |
Tricks to Remember
- Reports with “Gender, Competitiveness, Travel” belong to the WEF; “Human Development, MPI” belong to the UNDP.
- All the “Outlook” and “Stability” reports in finance come from the IMF; “Development” reports come from the World Bank.
- Transparency International = corruption; Reporters Without Borders = press freedom; Freedom House = political freedom.
- NITI Aayog publishes all the state-level performance indices in India.
- Germanwatch is linked to climate risk indices; IEP is linked to peace and terrorism.
Quick Tips
- Learn the publisher in groups by theme.
- Remember that WEF publishes the gender gap and competitiveness reports.
- Do not confuse IMF (outlook, stability) with World Bank (development).
- Check the latest ranks separately before the exam.
Quick Revision Points
- Global Hunger Index: Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.
- HDI: UNDP; Gender Gap: WEF; Press Freedom: RSF.
- Corruption Perceptions Index: Transparency International.
- World Economic Outlook: IMF.
- SDG India Index: NITI Aayog.
Practice Questions With Answers
- Which organisation publishes the Human Development Report?
Answer: UNDP - Which organisation publishes the Global Gender Gap Report?
Answer: World Economic Forum - Who publishes the World Press Freedom Index?
Answer: Reporters Without Borders - Who publishes the Corruption Perceptions Index?
Answer: Transparency International - Who publishes the Global Innovation Index?
Answer: WIPO - Who publishes the SDG India Index?
Answer: NITI Aayog - Who publishes the Global Hunger Index?
Answer: Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe - Who publishes the World Economic Outlook?
Answer: IMF - Who publishes the Environmental Performance Index?
Answer: Yale and Columbia Universities - Who publishes the Crime in India report?
Answer: NCRB
How to Practise This Chapter
Practise 10 questions every day and write the steps on paper. Then attempt timed sets from our practice papers and the previous year papers page. See all topics on the Current Affairs notes page and the next topic Government Portals, Apps and Digital Initiatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who publishes the Human Development Index?
UNDP.
Who publishes the Global Hunger Index?
Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.
Who publishes the World Happiness Report?
The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Who publishes the Global Gender Gap Report?
The World Economic Forum.
Who publishes the Corruption Perceptions Index?
Transparency International.
Who publishes the World Press Freedom Index?
Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Which body publishes the World Economic Outlook?
The International Monetary Fund.
Which indices are published by NITI Aayog?
SDG India Index, India Innovation Index, Composite Water Management Index, Health Index and others.
Which agency publishes the Crime in India report?
The National Crime Records Bureau.
Is the Ease of Doing Business report still published?
No. The World Bank discontinued it in 2021.
Do the publishers change every year?
Generally no, but the ranks change every year.
Is this topic asked in SSC?
Yes. “Who publishes which index” is a regular question in current affairs.
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Rahul Kumar
SSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Rahul is a senior SSC exam strategist with 8+ years of experience helping aspirants crack CGL, CHSL and MTS exams. He writes in-depth notification breakdowns, exam pattern guides and preparation strategies.