In 2021, I wrote a book called “Price of the Modi Years.” In one of its chapters, I compared India’s rankings on various global indices that I had been tracking over the years to see whether they had improved, stayed the same or deteriorated since 2014. Periodically, I keep going back to these to see whether India has risen or fallen on them or stayed the same. Today’s column looks at some of the more important ones as we end 2024.
The United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index monitors life expectancy at birth, education and national income. Our 2014 rank was 130, and it is today 134, a fall of four places. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index monitors civil liberties, pluralism, political culture and participation and electoral process in nations. Our 2014 rank was 27 and the latest is 47, a fall of 20 places. India is classified as a “flawed democracy.”
The CIVICUS Monitor’s National Civic Space Ratings assesses freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression. In 2017, it rated India as a place where freedoms were “Obstructed.” India’s current rating has fallen to “Repressed” and the reason is that “the deterioration of India’s civic space is alarming.”
The Lowy Institute Asia Power Index monitors national power and influence based on economy, diplomacy, military capacity, resilience, trade, future trends and cultural influence. Foreign Minister Jaishankar met with Lowy Institute experts in November in Sydney. According to Lowy Institute, India lost its “Major Power” status by falling below the 40-point threshold in 2020 and then falling further in 2021 and 2022. It remains below 40 in 2024.
Freedom House’s Freedom in the World looks at rule of law, political pluralism and elections, functioning of government, civil liberties, freedom of expression, association and organisation and individual rights. It rates nations out of 100 and in 2014 India was rated 77/100 and classified as being “Free.” Today it is rated 66/100 and classified as “Partly Free” for a variety of reasons.
The World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index rates nations on criminal and civil justice system, fundamental rights, constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, transparent government, order and security and regulatory enforcement.
In 2014 India ranked 66 and but fell to 77 in 2022 and 79 in 2024. India fails weakly on, among other things, fundamental rights and the criminal justice system.
The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network World Happiness Report looks at GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, perceptions of corruption and dystopia. India fell from a 2014 ranking of 111 to 126. The reasons given included a “large and steady decline in life evaluation,” low optimistic outlook of inhabitants (2020) and a “longer-term slide in Indian life evaluations” (2021).
Fraser Institute’s Global Economic Freedom Index looks at size of government, legal structure, freedom to trade internationally, regulation of credit, labour and business. India’s ranking here has risen from 112 in 2014 to 84.
The Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index monitors media independence, pluralism, self-censorship, abuses and transparency. India has fallen from a global rank of 140 in 2014 (which was not good in the first place) further to 159.
The World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law Index monitors laws and regulations that limit women’s economic opportunities on indicators like mobility, workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets and pension. India fell from its 2014 ranking of 111 to 113.
Transparency International Global Corruption Perceptions Index looks at corruption in the public sector of nations. India has fallen from a global rank of 85 in 2014 to 93. The Heritage Foundation Global Economic Freedom Index monitors rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency and open markets.
India in 2014 was ranked 120 and has since fallen to 126. Reasons cited include “large-scale political corruption”; “little evidence that anti-corruption laws are effective”; “foundations for long-term economic development remain fragile without an efficiently functioning legal framework”; “overall rule of law is weak in India.”
The International Food Policy Research Institute’s Global Hunger Index monitors hunger, stunting in children and undernourishment. Here India was ranked 55th out of 76 nations in 2014 and is now ranked 105th out of 127 nations. More than 13 per cent of Indians are undernourished, with 37 per cent of children under five being stunted (low height for age) and 18 per cent being wasted (low weight for height). India has rejected the findings of the hunger index as being flawed, saying that it does not reflect the country’s true position. But the true position is also that 60 per cent of Indians are thought by the government itself to require free ration monthly.
Similarly, the government has rejected the fall in other indices as being motivated or biased or based on flawed data or something else. Some indices it has stopped responding to totally. This was not the case when this government first took office and assumed that it would improve things. When India rose on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index in Modi’s first term, it was celebrated as an achievement of good governance. This index was discontinued after it was found that countries were gaming the system to rise in the rankings in 2018.
My broader point is this: That those who have been looking at the numbers over a decade or more, can only conclude that there has been slippage on key indicators linked to governance.
By Aakar Patel