According to the Global Air Power Rankings 2026 released by the World Defense Military Analysis (WDMMA), the Indian Air Force (IAF) is ranked as the 3rd most powerful air force globally.
The US Air Force leads the rankings with a TVR of 242.9 and a fleet of 5,004 aircraft, followed by Russia (2nd) and China (4th). When considering the combined air arms of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the IAF holds the 6th position with a True Value Rating (TVR) of 69.4.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has released the second edition of the "Digital Threat Report 2025–26". The report was developed in collaboration with the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the Computer Security Incident Response Team in Finance (CSIRT-Fin), and SISA Information Security.
It outlines an 18-month roadmap for financial institutions to strengthen their cybersecurity. The report also introduces the "Anatomy of Cyber Failure – 4 layer Gap Archetype Framework", which explains how a cyberattack progresses from initial system weaknesses to a full-scale security breach.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has released the 'Performance Grading Index 2.0 for States/Union Territories' (PGI 2.0-S) and the 'Performance Grading Index for Districts' (PGI-D) for 2025-26.
For the consecutive year, no state or Union Territory (UT) achieved the highest performance grade in the assessment. It is to be noted that the PGI was introduced in 2017 by the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL) to measure the performance of states in the school education sector.
According to the 'Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2025-26' report released by the Ministry of Education, the total number of teachers in India rose by 8.3% to 1.02 crore in 2025-26, from 94.8 lakh in 2022-23.
The report highlights that the Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) stands at 10 for Foundational, 12 for Preparatory, 17 for Middle, and 21 for Secondary levels, which remains better than the National Education Policy (NEP) recommended ratio of 30:1. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the secondary level has increased to 71.7%.
According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2023-24, Indian higher education institutions (HEIs) attracted 58,134 foreign students from 173 countries during the 2023-24 academic year.
Nepal accounts for the largest share of foreign students at 24.1%, followed by the UAE, the USA, Bangladesh, and Nigeria.
Karnataka is the leading destination for international students in India, hosting 7,914 students, followed by Punjab, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. The Ministry of Education launched the 'Study in India' (SII) programme in 2018 to attract international students to pursue higher education in India.
According to the "2026 World Investment Report: International Investment in a Turbulent Era" released by the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India is ranked 11th globally as an FDI recipient, with inflows surging by 44% to $38.89 billion in 2025.
In terms of FDI outflows, India is ranked 18th, with outflows increasing by 47% to $35.66 billion. Global foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows increased by 6% to $1.6 trillion in 2025.
The USA remained the world's largest FDI destination with $277 billion, followed by Singapore and Hong Kong. The USA was also the world's largest source of FDI with a total outflow of $263 billion, followed by Japan, China, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong.
According to the '5th annual edition of the Global Passport Index (GPI)' released by the Global Citizen Solutions (GCS), India is ranked 125th among 197 countries with a composite score of 45.1.
Sweden holds the top position with an overall score of 96.05, followed by Switzerland, Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands. In the GPI 2026, India is ranked 136th in the Enhanced Mobility Index, 118th in the Quality of Life Index, and 94th in the Investment Index.
According to the Geographical Indications (GI) Registry, the total number of GI tags registered in India stands at 822. Between April 2025 and March 2026, 125 GIs were registered across the country, with eastern states recording a significant number of these registrations.
During this period, Madhya Pradesh recorded 26 registrations, followed by West Bengal with 24. Uttar Pradesh holds the highest cumulative number of GI registrations at 79, followed by Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released a series of publications tracking India's development milestones under the National Indicator Framework (NIF).
Multidimensional poverty in India declined to 14.96% in 2019–21 from 24.85% in 2015–16, while population coverage under structured social protection systems surged to 65.3% in 2026, from 22% in 2019.
Institutional deliveries overseen by skilled staff have grown to 91.3% from 81.4%. The Gross Enrolment Ratio for higher secondary schools has reached 58.40%, and school internet connectivity has increased to 84.2%.
India has achieved 100% household electrification under the 'Saubhagya' scheme. Total internet subscriptions rose to 969.10 million in 2025 from 302.36 million in 2015, with national 4G population coverage reaching 99.51%.
The number of functional waste recycling plants expanded to 3,236 in 2025–26 from 829 in 2019–20. Globally protected Ramsar sites now constitute 8.66% of India's total wetland landscape, an increase from 4.15% in 2016.
NITI Aayog has released a report titled "Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global", prepared in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The roadmap focuses on shifting from basic product exports to global institution-building, using a three-pillar framework of Availability, Acceptability, and Propagation.
It outlines plans across three horizons: short-term goals up to 2029, medium-term objectives up to 2035, and a vision extending to 2047. The report recommends creating a Global Ayurveda Register (GAR) and establishing a World Federation for Ayurveda and Yoga to facilitate global integration.
The traditional medicine market of India is estimated at $61 billion. Global exports of traditional medicine have increased from $1.09 billion in 2014 to $2.16 billion, currently reaching 150 countries.
According to the 8th edition of the "Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026" released by the Times Higher Education (THE), the University of Manchester (UK) is ranked top in the overall list.
The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) secured the first rank in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which focuses on Gender Equality. It is to be noted that the report evaluated 1,646 universities globally.
According to the 8th edition of the 'Trade Watch Quarterly (TWQ)' released by the NITI Aayog for Q4 FY26, the total merchandise and services trade of India expanded by 5.4% to $1.84 trillion.
The report states that the global pharmaceutical market recorded a demand of $1.3 trillion in 2025. India's pharmaceutical sector contributes over 1.7% to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 7.2% to the manufacturing Gross Value Added (GVA).
The 67th edition of the TOP500 Supercomputer Rankings was released at the International Supercomputing (ISC) High Performance 2026 conference in Hamburg, Germany. China's 'LineShine' has emerged as the world's most powerful supercomputer, displacing the USA's 'El Capitan' from the top spot.
They are followed by 'Frontier' (USA), 'Aurora' (USA), and 'Jupiter' (Germany). The USA leads the list as the most represented country, with 161 systems featured.
India is ranked 16th globally, with 7 supercomputers included in the list, namely 'PARAM Siddhi-AI', 'Pratyush', 'Mihir', 'Aditya', 'SahasraT', 'Arka', and 'Param Bramha'. India's most powerful supercomputer, 'Shakti Cloud', secured the 32nd position on the list with a performance of 84.31 petaflops.
The Ministry of Tourism and NITI Aayog have jointly launched a report titled "Unlocking Growth in Tourism and Hospitality Sector: Recommendations for Non-Financial Regulatory Reforms". The report provides 49 recommendations across 14 reform areas to streamline the sector.
The strategic plan aims to expand India's tourism economy to $3 trillion and attract 100 million inbound international visitors by 2047.
It is to be noted that according to the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI), India ranks 6th globally in Natural Resources and 9th in Cultural Resources. Despite this, India ranks 39th overall on the TTDI and currently accounts for less than 1.5% of global international tourist arrivals.
According to the "QS World Future Skills Index 2027" released by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), India secured the 13th position globally with a score of 89.4. It is ranked 1st in the South Asia region and is the only country from the region to feature among the top 15.
The report evaluated 89 countries. India ranked 18th in Skills Alignment, 22nd in Academic Readiness, 5th in Future of Work, and 14th in Economic Transformation. The USA led the overall rankings with a score of 99.2, followed by Australia and the UK.
According to the 'Review of Maritime Transport 2025' report released by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India has become the world's leading ship recycling nation in 2025. India increased its global share in ship recycling to 35.4% (up from 30.1% in 2024).
The recycling volume reached 2.99 million gross tons (GT), marking a nearly 60% increase from 1.86 million GT. With this development, India has surpassed its Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 target five years ahead of schedule.
The Ship-breaking Credit Note Scheme (SbCN) offers credits worth 40% of the scrap value, which are usable up to 5% of the cost of a new vessel. Additionally, the government provided ₹53.5 crore in modernization support, enabling the establishment of 115 Hong Kong International Convention (HKC)-compliant facilities.
According to the "State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 2026" report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) under the theme "Blue Transformation: Turning Vision into Impact", India has emerged as the world's second-largest producer of aquatic animals, contributing 9% of the total global production in 2024.
India ranks first globally in inland water catches, producing 2.2 million tonnes (MT) from rivers, lakes, and freshwater systems. The top five aquaculture-producing countries globally are China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations (UN) Women have released the "2026 Women in Politics map" which provides global rankings on the representation of women in executive and government positions as of January 2026.
India ranks 151st globally in parliamentary representation, with women holding 13.8% of the seats. In terms of representation of women among Cabinet ministers, India ranks 173rd globally, with women occupying 5.6% of Cabinet positions.
The 5th edition of the "Burgundy Private Hurun India 500" report, a collaboration between Axis Bank's Burgundy Private and Hurun India, values the 500 most valuable non-state-run companies in India at $3.4 trillion.
Reliance Industries Ltd is the most valuable company in India, followed by HDFC Bank and Bharti Airtel. The Tata Group is the leading conglomerate, with 14 companies valued at ₹24.9 lakh crore. Bharti Airtel is the top wealth creator over a 5-year period, adding ₹7.64 trillion in value.
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) is the most valuable unlisted firm in India, with a valuation of ₹4.86 lakh crore. The report also featured 5 Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises as new entrants, with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ranked as the most valuable franchise at ₹20,850 crore, followed by Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, and Punjab Kings.
According to the "Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2026" (GSER 2026) released by Startup Genome, Bengaluru is ranked 15th globally among the top startup ecosystems. It has also emerged as the second-best AI-native cluster in Asia, positioned behind Beijing (China).
Silicon Valley (USA) topped the global rankings, followed by New York City (USA) and London (UK).
