Important Index and Reports for – UPSC IAS

What is an index?

An index a sign or measure of something (plural: indices). In economics and finance, an index is a statistical measure of changes in a representative group of individual data points. These data may be derived from any number of sources.

Financial Organisations

Report / Indices	Publishing Organisations
Ease of Doing Business	World Bank
World Development Report	World Bank
Global Economic Prospect (GEP) Report	World Bank
Logistics Performance Index	World Bank
Remittance Report	World Bank
Ease of Living Index	World Bank
India Development Update	World Bank
Universal Health Coverage Index	World Bank
The Service Trade Restriction Index	World Bank
Global Financial Stability Report	International Monetary Fund (IMF)
World Economic Outlook	IMF
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)	Organization of Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD)
World Trade Outlook Indicator	World Trade Organisation (WTO)
Global Information Technology Report	World Economic Forum (WEF)
Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report	WEF
Global Competitiveness Report	WEF
Enabling Trade Report	WEF
Global Energy Architecture Performance Index Report	WEF
Global Energy Transition Index	WEF
Global Environment Performance Index	WEF
World Power Language Index	WEF
Inclusive Development Index	WEF
Human Capital Index	WEF
Global Gender Gap Index	WEF
Global Financial System Report	Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
Global Money Laundering Report	Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

UN and its Specialised Agencies & other imp. Reports

Report / Indices	Publishing Organisations
Global Education Monitoring Report	United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
Gender Parity Index	UNESCO
Report on Regular Resources	United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
The State of the World’s Children Reports	UNICEF
Global Report on Trafficking in Persons	United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
World Drug Report	UNODC
World Wildlife Crime Report	UNODC
ICT Development Index	United Nations International Telecommunication Union (UN-ITU)
E-government Readiness Index (EGDI)	United Nations Public Administration Programme (UNPAP)
E-participation Index	UNPAP
E-government Development Index	UNPAP
The Global Report	United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
World Investment Report	United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
The Trade & Development Report	UNCTAD
The Least Developed Countries Report	UNCTAD
The Information Economy Report	UNCTAD
The Technology and Innovation Report	UNCTAD
Reports on Counterfeiting and Organized Crime	United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI)
Industrial Development Report	United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)
Global Assessment Report	United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)
State of World Population Report	United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
World Economic Situation and Prospectus Report	UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA)
World Social Report	UNDESA
World’s Women Report – Once in 5 Years	UNDESA
World Cities Report	UN-Habitat
Habitat Commitment Index	UN-Habitat
Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report	UN Inter-agency Group (UNICEF)
World Disaster Risk Index	United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNUEHS)
World Happiness Report	UN-Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
World Social Protection Report	International Labour Organisation(ILO)
World Employment and Social Outlook	ILO
World of Work Report	ILO
Global Wage Report	ILO
Gender Inequality Index	UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)
Education Development Index	UNDP
Actions on Air Quality	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Global Environment Outlook	UNEP
Emission Gap Report	UNEP
The Rise of Environmental Crime Report	UNEP & INTERPOL
State of the World’s Forests Report	Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)
Rural Development Report	International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
State of World Climate Report	World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
World Health Statistics Report	World Health Organisation (WHO)
State of the World’s Nursing Report	WHO
World Tuberculosis Report	WHO
Ambient Air pollution Report	WHO
Safety Reports	International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
CORSIA	ICAO
Postal Development Report	Universal Postal Union (UPU)
World Intellectual Property Report (WIPR)	Wrold Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
Global Innovation Index	Cornell University, INSEAD & WIPO
Technical Cooperation Report	International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Nuclear Technology Review	IAEA
Red Book	IAEA
World Energy Outlook (WEO)	International Energy Agency (IEA)
Southeast Asia Energy Outlook	IEA
Global Electric Vehicles Outlook	IEA
Net Zero Emissions	IEA
Tracking Clean Energy Progress	IEA
Global Energy Crisis	IEA
Red List	International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Human Development Index	United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Global Multidimensional Poverty Index	UNDP, and Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI)
World Migration Report	International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Non-profit Organisations

Report / Indices	Publishing Organisations
The Energy Report & Living Planet Report	World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Global Corruption Report (GCR)	Transparency International
Corruption Perception Index	Transparency International
World Press Freedom Index	Reporters Without Borders
Death Penalty Report	Amnesty International
Global Hunger Index	Concern Worldwide & Welthungerhilfe
An Economy for the 99%	Oxfam
Change the World List Data	Fortune
Global Pension Index	Melbourne Mercer
Global Slavery Index	Walk Free Foundation, Australia Based Human Rights Group
Global Retail Development Index	AT Kearney (American Global Management Consulting Firm)
Climate Change Performance Index	German Watch
New Health Index	Global Burden of Disease

Reports Published by Research Centres and Other Institutes

Report / Indices	Publishing (Organisations)
Index of Economic Freedom	Heritage Foundation
Intellectual Property Index	US Chamber of Commerce
Global Peace Index	Institute of Economics & Peace (IEP), Australia
Global Terrorism Index	IEP
Global Talent Competitiveness Index	INSEAD, Adecco Group, and the Human Capital Leadership Institute of Singapore
City Momentum Index	JLL Real Estate Services, US
State of Global Air 2017 Report	Health Effects Institute, Boston
Global Ecological Footprint	Global Footprint Network
Social Progress Index	Social Progress Imperative

Reports Related to India

Report / Indices	Publishing Organisations
India State of Forest Report	Forest Survey of India (FSI)
Report Card of Swachh Bharat Mission	Quality Council of India
National Air Quality Indices	Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
National Ambient Air Quality Standard	CPCB
India Innovation Index	NITI Aayog, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Confederation of Indian Industry(CII)
Performance of Health Outcome Index	NITI Aayog
Interest Subvention Report	Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Financial Stability Report	Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Internet Readiness Index	Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI)
RESIDEX	National Housing Bank
Annual Survey of Education Report	PRATHAM
School Education Quality Index (SEQI)	NITI Aagyog and MHRD
India Social Development Report	The Council of Social Development
Red Data Book	Botanical Survey of India
Municipal Performance Index	Ministry of housing and urban affairs
Ease of living index	Ministry of housing and urban affairs

International Organization for Migration

• The flagship publication series of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the “World Migration Report” presents data and information on human migration together with analysis of complex and emerging migration issues. It is released biennially.
• It was first published by IOM in 2000 with the aim of promoting “a better understanding of the main migratory movements that are occurring across the globe.”
• The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is an intergovernmental organization that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers.
• In September 2016, IOM became a related organization of the United Nations.
• It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) to help resettle people displaced by World War II.
• As of 2021, the International Organization for Migration has 173 member states and nine observer states.

Annual State of Education Report (ASER)

• ASER is a nationwide survey of rural education and learning outcomes in terms of reading and arithmetic skills.
• It has been conducted by the NGO Pratham.
  • Pratham is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in India.
  • It works towards the provision of quality education to the underprivileged children in India.
  • Headquarters – Mumbai, Delhi.

Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report

• Originally the EFA Global Monitoring Report, it has been renamed as the Global Education Monitoring Report.
• It is developed by an independent team and published by UNESCO aimed to sustain commitment towards Education for All.
• The ‘UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), based in Montreal provides data for the report on students, teachers, school performance, adult literacy, and education expenditure.
• GEM Report assesses progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on education and its ten targets, as well as other related education targets in the SDG agenda.

Freedom in the World Report

• Freedom in the World is a yearly survey and report published by USA-based human rights watchdog Freedom House, which is largely funded through USA government grants, has been tracking the course of democracy since 1941.
• Scores are based on:
  • Political rights indicators such as the electoral process, political pluralism and participation, and government functioning.
  • Civil liberties indicators are related to freedom of expression and belief, associational and organizational rights, the rule of law and personal autonomy, and individual rights.
  • Countries are declared as “free”, “partly free” or “not free”.

World Press Freedom Index

• It has been published every year since 2002 by Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) or Reporters Without Borders.
• Based in Paris, RSF is an independent NGO with consultative status with the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, and the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF).
  • OIF is a 54 french speaking nation’s collective.
• The Index ranks 180 countries and regions according to the level of freedom available to journalists.
• The parameters include
  • pluralism,
  • media independence,
  • media environment and self-censorship,
  • legislative framework,
  • transparency,
  • and the quality of the infrastructure that supports the production of news and information.
• It is compiled by means of a questionnaire in 20 languages that are completed by experts all over the world. This qualitative analysis is combined with quantitative data on abuses and acts of violence against journalists during the period evaluated.

National Cyber Power Index

• National Cyber Power Index‘ published by the Belfer Center of Harvard Kennedy School, USA.
• NCPI measures 30 countries’ cyber capabilities in the context of seven national objectives, using 32 intent indicators and 27 capability indicators with evidence collected from publicly available data.

Readers can update the names of any important reports (if we missed any) in the comment section below. Do let us know your feedback in the comments. Thanks in advance.