Corruption Perceptions Index 2025: India rises to 91st
February 2026
Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2025, released in February 2026, ranked India 91st of 182 countries and territories with a score of 39 out of 100, up from 96th the year before. Denmark topped the index for the eighth year running with 89, followed by Finland and Singapore. The global average fell to 42, its lowest in more than a decade.
Background. Transparency International is based in Berlin. The CPI scores perceived public-sector corruption on a 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean) scale, using expert and business surveys.
Why CLAT asks: Publisher, scale direction and India's rank are the three things asked.
Sources: The News: India improves corruption rank by 5 places; Statista: Evolution of corruption perception in India (CPI)
Global Risks Report 2026: geoeconomic confrontation tops the list
14 January 2026
The World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2026, its 21st edition, released on 14 January 2026, ranked 'geoeconomic confrontation', the use of tariffs, sanctions, investment curbs and control of critical minerals as weapons, as the most severe risk over the next two years. Misinformation and disinformation came second and societal polarisation third. Over ten years, extreme weather events ranked first, with environmental risks dominating the long-term list.
Background. The WEF, based in Cologny near Geneva, publishes the report before its annual meeting at Davos, based on a survey of more than 1,300 experts. It also publishes the Global Gender Gap Report.
Why CLAT asks: Know the top short-term and long-term risks, and that the WEF publishes it.
Sources: Al Jazeera: Geoeconomic confrontation world's top threat, global leaders say (14 January 2026); Anadolu Agency: Geoeconomic confrontation tops global risks for 2026, WEF report finds
SIPRI Yearbook 2026: India's arsenal estimated at 190 warheads
June 2026
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's Yearbook 2026, released in June 2026, estimated India's nuclear arsenal at about 190 warheads as of January 2026, up from 180, and for the first time counted 12 Indian warheads as deployed on missiles. It estimated Pakistan at about 170, none deployed, and China at about 600 or more, the fastest-growing arsenal. The US and Russia together hold most of the world's nuclear weapons.
Background. SIPRI, founded in 1966, is an independent institute in Stockholm that tracks arms, military spending and disarmament. Nine countries have nuclear weapons: the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel.
Why CLAT asks: The nine nuclear-armed States and the relative sizes of the Indian, Pakistani and Chinese arsenals are frequent questions.
Sources: The Wire: India deploys 12 nuclear warheads mounted on missiles during peacetime: SIPRI; Deccan Chronicle: With 190 warheads, India widens nuke arsenal lead over Pakistan: SIPRI report
Global Gender Gap Index 2026: India stays at 131st
16 September 2026
The WEF's Global Gender Gap Report 2026, released on 16 September 2026, ranked India 131st of 145 countries for the second year, with 64.5% of its gender gap closed, below the global average of 69.2%. Iceland stayed first, followed by Finland and Norway; Chad was last. India's best sub-index was political empowerment (67th), while women held only 5.9% of ministerial posts.
Background. The index, published since 2006, measures four areas: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
Why CLAT asks: The four sub-indices and the top-ranked country (Iceland, for well over a decade) are classic questions.
Sources: Free Press Journal: India retains 131st rank in Global Gender Gap Index 2026; Iceland tops list; YourStory (PTI): India's rank on Global Gender Gap Index unchanged at 131
Human Development Report: India at 130th (latest edition, 2025)
6 May 2025
The most recent Human Development Report, released by the UN Development Programme on 6 May 2025 and titled 'A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI', ranked India 130th of 193 countries, up three places, with a Human Development Index value of 0.685. India remains in the 'medium human development' category, close to the 'high' threshold. UNDP said India's HDI had risen by over 53% since 1990.
Background. The HDI combines life expectancy, education (mean and expected years of schooling) and gross national income per head. The first Human Development Report (1990) was developed by Mahbub ul Haq with Amartya Sen.
Why CLAT asks: The three dimensions of the HDI, and who devised it, are standard.
Source: UNDP: India's human development continues to make progress, ranks 130 out of 193 countries
