Suite C: External Benchmarks by era

EIU Democracy Index

Economist Intelligence Unit · source · metric: Score (0-10) · not a rank

Methodology. Score is used as it is comparable across years. Ranks (from press coverage): 2014: 27th, 2019: 51st of 167 (down 10), 2020: 53rd of 167, 2021: 46th of 167, 2023: 41st (tied with Poland), 2025: 47th (Wikipedia); other years' ranks not confirmed. India is classed 'flawed democracy' throughout. Scores per Wikipedia's table of the EIU data; 2013 edition may reflect the 2012 data year. EIU relies partly on expert assessments and opinion surveys. Back-fill (pre-2014 editions, researched by deepseek, unreviewed): Score is used as it is comparable across years. Ranks (from press coverage): 2014: 27th, 2019: 51st of 167 (down 10), 2020: 53rd of 167, 2021: 46th of 167, 2023: 41st (tied with Poland), 2025: 47th (Wikipedia); other years' ranks not confirmed. India is classed 'flawed democracy' throughout. Scores per Wikipedia's table of the EIU data; 2013 edition may reflect the 2012 data year. EIU relies partly on expert assessments and opinion surveys. Earlier editions added: the EIU first published the index for 2006 (7.68), then 2008 (7.80) and 2010 (7.28), and annually from 2011 (7.30) and 2012 (7.52). There was no 2004, 2005, 2007 or 2009 edition, so those years are gaps rather than missing values. The 0-10 scoring framework is continuous across 2006-2014; the main methodological caveat is the irregular early publication cadence, and the 2013 edition may reflect the 2012 data year. Per-point URLs for 2006-2012 are the same EIU data table used for the existing points.

Government response. EAC-PM paper 'Global Perception Indices' (July 2023) Paper from the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council critiquing perception-based global indices; listed here as the government's general position, not an EIU-specific rebuttal (content not fully read).

Freedom in the World

Freedom House · source · metric: Total score (0-100) · maximum score

Methodology. 'year' is the edition year (covers the prior calendar year). Status fell from Free to Partly Free in the 2021 edition. Edition pages for 2014-2016 were not retrievable (404) and pre-2017 scores are not given on the same 100-point basis here, so those years are omitted. Freedom House pages show a 'Global Freedom Score' of 62 in the sidebar for the latest edition (2026) and also 63 for 2025 in one extract; edition headline scores are used. Back-fill (pre-2014 editions, researched by deepseek, unreviewed): 'year' is the edition year (covers the prior calendar year). Status fell from Free to Partly Free in the 2021 edition. Freedom House introduced the 0-100 aggregate score with the 2006 edition; earlier editions used only the 1-7 Political Rights and Civil Liberties ratings, so pre-2006 editions are not on a comparable basis and are omitted. The 2014-2016 edition pages were recovered from Internet Archive captures of Freedom House's country pages: 2016 states an Aggregate Score of 77 directly, while for 2014 and 2015 the total is the sum of the published PR and CL sub-scores (2014: PR 34/40 + CL 43/60 = 77; 2015: PR 35/40 + CL 43/60 = 78). Aggregate scores for 2006-2013 could not be confirmed from a retrievable Freedom House page (the archived pre-2016 pages display only 1-7 ratings/status), so those years remain gaps; no value was guessed. Freedom House also revised some indicator rules in 2018 (outside the 2004-2014 window). Freedom House pages show a 'Global Freedom Score' of 62 in the sidebar for the latest edition (2026) and also 63 for 2025 in one extract; edition headline scores are used.

Government response. MEA/government reaction to Freedom House 'Partly Free' (2021) Press reports on the government's response to 2021 downgrades; exact MEA wording not retrieved. Treat as unconfirmed.

Global Hunger Index

Concern Worldwide / Welthungerhilfe (earlier editions with IFPRI) · source · metric: Rank · countries ranked

Methodology. GHI publishers state that ranks and scores are NOT comparable across editions: underlying UN data are revised each year, the number of ranked countries changes, and the method changed in 2015. Notably the 2014 edition (55 of 76) excluded 44 countries with scores below 5; reports say including them would have placed India near 99 (The Quint). Score (lower is better) is more informative than rank: 17.8 (2014 ed.), 29.0 (2015), 28.5 (2016), 31.4 (2017), 31.1 (2018), 30.3 (2019), 29.1 (2022), 27.3 (2024), 25.8 (2025), 24.1 (2026); GHI recommends comparing scores only via the revised time series in a single report. Scores for 2020, 2021, 2023 not captured here. Wikipedia lists a 2026 score of 24.8 and rank 103; the official site and Careers360 say 24.1 and rank 100 (tied with Ethiopia), which is used. Per-point sources are news reports quoting the GHI report; the official country page is the 'url'. Back-fill (pre-2014 editions, researched by deepseek, unreviewed): GHI publishers state that ranks and scores are NOT comparable across editions: underlying UN data are revised each year, the number of ranked countries changes, and the method changed in 2015. Notably the 2014 edition (55 of 76) excluded 44 countries with scores below 5; reports say including them would have placed India near 99 (The Quint). Score (lower is better) is more informative than rank: 17.8 (2014 ed.), 29.0 (2015), 28.5 (2016), 31.4 (2017), 31.1 (2018), 30.3 (2019), 29.1 (2022), 27.3 (2024), 25.8 (2025), 24.1 (2026); GHI recommends comparing scores only via the revised time series in a single report. Scores for 2020, 2021, 2023 not captured here. Wikipedia lists a 2026 score of 24.8 and rank 103; the official site and Careers360 say 24.1 and rank 100 (tied with Ethiopia), which is used. Per-point sources are news reports quoting the GHI report; the official country page is the 'url'. Earlier editions added: 2008 (66 of 88), 2009 (65 of 84), 2010 (67 of 84), 2011 (67 of 81), 2012 (65 of 79, score 22.9) and 2013 (63 of 78, score 21.3). The 2006 edition's India rank could not be confirmed and is omitted; no separate 2007 edition was located. The 2009-2010 ranks come from an official Rajya Sabha reply, the 2011 rank from the GHI 2011 report, and 2008/2012/2013 from press reports. Methodology breaks: the GHI changed its formula in 2015 (after this window); the 2014 edition ranked only 76 countries because countries scoring below 5 were excluded, so the 2014 rank (55) is not comparable with 2013 or earlier; the publishers state ranks/scores are not comparable across editions in any case.

Government response. Government questions methodology and data accuracy of Global Hunger Index (March 2021 report) Secondary summary of the government's 2021 position questioning the GHI's methodology and data. Original official document not retrieved.

Government response. Ministry of Women and Child Development on GHI 2022 (as reported by Deccan Herald) Ministry called the index an 'erroneous measure of hunger': three of four indicators relate to child health and cannot represent the whole population, and the undernourishment indicator is based on a small (3,000) opinion poll. Fact-checkers (FactChecker/Janata Weekly) found parts of this argument misleading or lacking context.

Government response. Government rejects GHI 2023 as flawed (Tribune) Ministry said the index suffers from serious methodological issues and shows malafide intent. GHI publishers rejected the objections (The Wire: https://cms.thewire.in/world/india-ranks-111th-among-125-countries-in-global-hunger-index-report).

Global Innovation Index

WIPO (with Cornell University and INSEAD in earlier editions) · source · metric: Rank · economies ranked

Methodology. WIPO states data availability and changes to the GII model framework influence year-on-year comparisons; the 2025 confidence interval for India's rank is 37-41 and for 2026 is 34-39. Out-of counts not confirmed (omitted) for 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018; sources conflict for 2017 (127 vs 130). 2013 (66) and 2014 (76, down ten) per press/secondary tables; 2018 WIPO brief says 57th, up three from 2017. WIPO country briefs 2019-2026 are primary sources. India's rise is real across the series but part of it reflects model changes. Back-fill (pre-2014 editions, researched by deepseek, unreviewed): WIPO states data availability and changes to the GII model framework influence year-on-year comparisons; the 2025 confidence interval for India's rank is 37-41 and for 2026 is 34-39. Out-of counts not confirmed (omitted) for 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018; sources conflict for 2017 (127 vs 130). 2013 (66) and 2014 (76, down ten) per press/secondary tables; 2018 WIPO brief says 57th, up three from 2017. WIPO country briefs 2019-2026 are primary sources. India's rise is real across the series but part of it reflects model changes. Earlier editions added: the GII began in 2007 (India 23rd of 107, on a 1-7 score); the 2008-2009 edition (recorded here as 2009) ranked India 41st of 130; the 2009-2010 edition (recorded as 2010) ranked India 56th of 132; 2011: 62nd of 125; 2012: 64th of 141. The 2007-2010 editions used a 1-7 score and different indicator sets, and the GII was substantially revamped for 2011 (0-100 score, new framework) and again in later years, so ranks across the 2007-2013 period are only loosely comparable. No 2004-2006 edition exists. Values for 2007-2010 and 2012 are from INSEAD/WIPO rankings compiled by areppim (each table cites INSEAD-WIPO); 2011 is from SpicyIP's report of the 2011 GII.

Government response. PIB: Economic Survey 2025-26 on GII rank improving to 38th in 2025 from 66th in 2019 Government cites the rise as evidence of strengthening innovation performance; India is first among lower-middle-income economies and in Central and Southern Asia.

Government response. Lok Sabha reply describing GII 2017 result Parliamentary answer describing the 2017 result as a 21-place improvement from 81st in 2015 and 6 places from 66th in 2016.

World Press Freedom Index

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) · source · metric: Rank · countries and territories ranked

Methodology. RSF changed its methodology in 2022 (five indicators: political, economic, legislative, social, security), so scores before and after 2022 are not strictly comparable; ranks are comparable only loosely. Scores (0-100, higher better): 2019 54.33, 2020 54.67, 2021 53.44, 2022 41, 2023 36.62, 2024 31.28, 2025 32.96, 2026 31.96. 2015 and 2016 ranks are from press coverage of the 2016 index (India 133rd, up three from 136th). Gaps: 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 not confirmed with a retrievable source (one report cited 140th in 2013 and 138th in 2018, but unverified). No official Indian government response located; Indian government has generally not accepted RSF methodology but a specific statement was not retrieved. Back-fill (pre-2014 editions, researched by deepseek, unreviewed): RSF changed its methodology in 2022 (five indicators: political, economic, legislative, social, security), so scores before and after 2022 are not strictly comparable; ranks are comparable only loosely. RSF also made a major methodology overhaul in 2013 (and the 2002-2012 methodology differed from 2013-2021), so the 2004-2012 ranks are not strictly comparable with 2013 onward. Scores (0-100, higher better): 2019 54.33, 2020 54.67, 2021 53.44, 2022 41, 2023 36.62, 2024 31.28, 2025 32.96, 2026 31.96. 2015 and 2016 ranks are from press coverage of the 2016 index (India 133rd, up three from 136th). Earlier ranks added from RSF's official per-year ranking downloads: 2004 120/167, 2005 106/167, 2006 105/168, 2007 120/169, 2008 118/173, 2009 105/175, 2010 122/178, 2012 131/179, 2013 140/179, 2014 140/180. RSF published a combined 2011-2012 edition (recorded under 2012); there is no separate 2011 edition in RSF's data. Gaps: 2011 (combined edition), 2017, 2018 not confirmed with a retrievable source (one report cited 138th in 2018, but unverified). No official Indian government response located; Indian government has generally not accepted RSF methodology but a specific statement was not retrieved.

Corruption Perceptions Index

Transparency International · source · metric: Score (0-100, higher = cleaner) · maximum score

Methodology. Score (post-2012 scale) is comparable across years; rank is not, as country coverage changes. Ranks known from reports: 2024: 96th of 180; 2025: 91st of 182 (score 39). Scores 2013-2024 per Our World in Data's TI series (https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/ti-corruption-perception-index); 2025 per press coverage (Catholic Connect, Drishti IAS). Per-point links go to TI's edition pages. No specific government rebuttal located. Back-fill (pre-2014 editions, researched by deepseek, unreviewed): Score (post-2012 scale) is comparable across years; rank is not, as country coverage changes. Ranks known from reports: 2024: 96th of 180; 2025: 91st of 182 (score 39). Scores 2013-2024 per Our World in Data's TI series (https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/ti-corruption-perception-index); 2025 per press coverage (Catholic Connect, Drishti IAS). Per-point links go to TI's edition pages. No specific government rebuttal located. Pre-2012 points (2004-2011) are TI's original 0-10 CPI scores (higher = cleaner) and are stored with out_of 10; they are not directly comparable with the post-2012 0-100 scores. TI changed the CPI scale and methodology in 2012 (0-100 scale; revised aggregation), so 2012 (36) is the first point on the current scale. The 2004-2011 values come from TI's official per-edition data CSV files (linked from each edition page); 2012 is from TI's 2012 results. Ranks in the pre-2012 editions: 2004 90th, 2005 88th, 2006 70th, 2007 72nd, 2008 85th, 2009 84th, 2010 91st, 2011 95th.

Human Development Index

UNDP Human Development Report Office · source · metric: Rank · countries and territories ranked

Methodology. 'year' is the REPORT year, not the data year: 2014 report uses 2013 data; 2015 report 2014 data; 2016 report (released March 2017) 2015 data; 2018 statistical update 2017 data; 2020 report 2019 data; 2021/22 report (released Sept 2022, labelled 2022) 2021 data; 2023/24 report (released March 2024, labelled 2024) 2022 data; 2025 report 2023 data. UNDP states ranks and HDI values are not comparable across editions because of data revisions. UNDP's comparable revised HDI-value series (via Our World in Data) for India: 2013 0.615, 2015 0.633, 2017 0.649, 2019 0.651, 2021 0.647, 2022 0.676, 2023 0.685. UNDP's 2025 release says India moved from 133 (2022) to 130 (2023) in the revised dataset, which differs from the 134 published in the 2023/24 report. Gaps: 2013 report, 2017 (none), 2019 report (some outlets report 129, unverified here). No government rebuttal located. Back-fill (pre-2014 editions, researched by deepseek, unreviewed): 'year' is the REPORT year, not the data year: 2014 report uses 2013 data; 2015 report 2014 data; 2016 report (released March 2017) 2015 data; 2018 statistical update 2017 data; 2020 report 2019 data; 2021/22 report (released Sept 2022, labelled 2022) 2021 data; 2023/24 report (released March 2024, labelled 2024) 2022 data; 2025 report 2023 data. UNDP states ranks and HDI values are not comparable across editions because of data revisions. UNDP's comparable revised HDI-value series (via Our World in Data) for India: 2013 0.615, 2015 0.633, 2017 0.649, 2019 0.651, 2021 0.647, 2022 0.676, 2023 0.685. UNDP's 2025 release says India moved from 133 (2022) to 130 (2023) in the revised dataset, which differs from the 134 published in the 2023/24 report. Gaps: 2013 report, 2017 (none), 2019 report (some outlets report 129, unverified here). No government rebuttal located. Earlier editions added: 2004 HDR (2002 data), 2005 HDR (2003 data), 2006 HDR (2004 data), 2007/2008 HDR (2005 data; this was a single joint edition, so there is no separate 2008 point), 2009 HDR (2007 data), 2010 HDR (2008 data), 2011 HDR (2011 data) and 2013 HDR (2012 data). MAJOR METHODOLOGY BREAK: the 2010 HDR replaced the old literacy/gross-enrolment formula with mean and expected years of schooling, switched from GDP to GNI per capita, and changed the aggregation to a geometric mean; 2004-2009 ranks use the old methodology and are not directly comparable with 2010 onward. There was no 2012 edition (the series went from the 2011 report to the 2013 report).

V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index

V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · source · metric: Liberal Democracy Index score (0-1) · not a rank

Methodology. Values are the Our World in Data series of V-Dem's latest dataset vintage; V-Dem revises historical values each release, so earlier editions published different figures. 'year' is the data year (the report is published the following March). V-Dem's 2021 report (covering 2020) reclassified India from 'electoral democracy' to 'electoral autocracy'; the Democracy Report 2024 said India remained an electoral autocracy at the end of 2023 (Scroll). V-Dem's classification (Regimes of the World) is a separate judgement from the LDI score. The Indian government disputes such indices' methodologies.

Government response. Government/MEA reaction to democracy indices (V-Dem, Freedom House, EIU) in 2021 Per press reports, the MEA considered backing an Indian think-tank's own democracy report and freedom index in response to 2021 downgrades. See also BoomLive on the Chief Election Commissioner saying flawed rankings harm democracy: https://www.boomlive.in/explainers/after-v-dem-report-on-india-cec-says-flawed-rankings-harming-democracy-21306. Exact MEA rejection text not retrieved.

Global Gender Gap Index

World Economic Forum · source · metric: Rank · countries ranked

Methodology. Score (0-1, 1 = parity) is the more comparable measure; India's scores per WEF reports: 2013 0.6551, 2014 0.6455, 2016 0.683, 2017 0.669, 2018 0.665, 2020 0.668, 2021 0.625, 2022 0.629, 2023 0.643, 2024 0.641, 2025 0.644 (2026: about 64.5% per press). The rank fell sharply in 2021 mainly due to a drop in political empowerment (fewer women ministers) and estimated earned income; WEF notes ranks shift with country coverage. 2015 edition (reported as 108th of 145) was not retrievable and is omitted. 2019 had no edition. The 2026 point is from press coverage of the WEF release (mid-September 2026); the WEF 2026 PDF could not be fetched. All other points are read directly from the WEF report PDFs. No specific government rebuttal located. Back-fill (pre-2014 editions, researched by deepseek, unreviewed): Score (0-1, 1 = parity) is the more comparable measure; India's scores per WEF reports: 2013 0.6551, 2014 0.6455, 2016 0.683, 2017 0.669, 2018 0.665, 2020 0.668, 2021 0.625, 2022 0.629, 2023 0.643, 2024 0.641, 2025 0.644 (2026: about 64.5% per press). The rank fell sharply in 2021 mainly due to a drop in political empowerment (fewer women ministers) and estimated earned income; WEF notes ranks shift with country coverage. 2015 edition (reported as 108th of 145) was not retrievable and is omitted. 2019 had no edition. The 2026 point is from press coverage of the WEF release (mid-September 2026); the WEF 2026 PDF could not be fetched. All other points are read directly from the WEF report PDFs. No specific government rebuttal located. Earlier editions added from Table 3a of the WEF Global Gender Gap Report 2012: 2006 98th of 115 (score 0.6011), 2007 114th of 128 (0.5936), 2008 113rd of 130 (0.6060), 2009 114th of 134 (0.6151), 2010 112th of 134 (0.6155), 2011 113th of 135 (0.6190), 2012 105th of 135 (0.6442). The index was first published in 2006, so there is no 2004 or 2005 edition. Coverage and several indicators changed across editions and WEF revised the methodology in 2014, so ranks/scores are not strictly comparable across the full 2006-2026 span.

Ease of Doing Business (Doing Business report)

World Bank · source · metric: Rank · economies ranked

Methodology. 'year' is the Doing Business report year (DB2020 = published Oct 2019, data to May 2019). The World Bank discontinued the report in 2021 after data irregularities affecting the DB2018 and DB2020 editions (China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Azerbaijan). The 142-to-63 rise cited by the government compares DB2015 (142) with DB2020 (63); DB2014 was 134. The Bank restates past ranks with methodology changes, so published ranks are not strictly comparable. Rank for 2014-2018 per Wikipedia's table of the report; 2019/2020 per PIB. Back-fill (pre-2014 editions, researched by deepseek, unreviewed): 'year' is the Doing Business report year (DB2020 = published Oct 2019, data to May 2019). The World Bank discontinued the report in 2021 after data irregularities affecting the DB2018 and DB2020 editions (China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Azerbaijan). The 142-to-63 rise cited by the government compares DB2015 (142) with DB2020 (63); DB2014 was 134. The Bank restates past ranks with methodology changes, so published ranks are not strictly comparable. Rank for 2014-2018 per Wikipedia's table of the report; 2019/2020 per PIB. Earlier editions added: ranking was introduced only in the Doing Business 2006 report, so no ranks exist for 2004-2005. India was 116th of 155 in DB2006, 134th of 175 in DB2007, 120th of 178 in DB2008, 122nd of 181 in DB2009, 133rd of 183 in DB2010, 134th of 183 in DB2011, 132nd of 183 in DB2012 and 132nd of 185 in DB2013 (coverage counts confirmed from the World Bank's archived Doing Business 2006 and 2013 report pages). Coverage expanded sharply over this period and the Bank changed/restated indicators (notably DB2015), so these ranks are not strictly comparable with later editions.

Government response. PIB: India ranks 63 in World Bank's Doing Business Report (Oct 2019) Government celebrated a 14-place rise from 77 to 63 of 190, India a top-10 improver for the third consecutive year; later PIB material cites a rise from 142 in 2014 to 63.

World Happiness Report

Gallup / Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre / UN SDSN · source · metric: Rank · countries ranked

Methodology. Rankings use a three-year average of Gallup World Poll life-evaluation answers (Cantril ladder, 0-10); India's score: 2017 4.315, 2018 4.190, 2019 4.015, 2024 4.054, 2025 4.389, 2026 4.536 (per Wikipedia's tables of the reports). Number of countries varies each year. Gaps: out_of not confirmed for 2013, 2015, 2020, 2022 (omitted); the 2014 and 2012 editions are not included; a 2016 total of 156 (PTI/Scroll) vs 157 (other outlets) is reported. 2022 rank 136 is confirmed by a later report referring to it; 2020's 144 is also cited by a 2012-2026 review. 2017/2018/2019/2020/2022/2024 per-point links go to the edition's landing page, with the rank taken from Wikipedia's summary tables of those reports. No official Indian government rebuttal located. Back-fill (pre-2014 editions, researched by deepseek, unreviewed): Rankings use a three-year average of Gallup World Poll life-evaluation answers (Cantril ladder, 0-10); India's score: 2017 4.315, 2018 4.190, 2019 4.015, 2024 4.054, 2025 4.389, 2026 4.536 (per Wikipedia's tables of the reports). Number of countries varies each year. Gaps: out_of not confirmed for 2013, 2015, 2020, 2022 (omitted); the 2014 and 2012 editions are not included; a 2016 total of 156 (PTI/Scroll) vs 157 (other outlets) is reported. 2022 rank 136 is confirmed by a later report referring to it; 2020's 144 is also cited by a 2012-2026 review. 2017/2018/2019/2020/2022/2024 per-point links go to the edition's landing page, with the rank taken from Wikipedia's summary tables of those reports. No official Indian government rebuttal located. The 2012 point (111th of 156, score 4.772) is from the first World Happiness Report, which was the only edition before 2013; there were no 2004-2011 editions. The 2012 report used 2005-2011 averages and a different country set/method from the 2013 edition, so the identical 2012 and 2013 ranks are not directly comparable.

Environmental Performance Index

Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy / Columbia CIESIN · source · metric: Rank · countries ranked

Methodology. EPI is biennial and the indicator set changes substantially between editions (e.g. new climate-change indicators in 2022), so ranks across editions are not strictly comparable. Out-of count for 2014 not confirmed (omitted). 2016 edition (reported by some as 141st) and 2012/2010 not confirmed and omitted. Scores: 2018 30.57, 2020 27.6, 2024 27.6 (Wikipedia), 2026 22.46 (Estonia top at 74.79; Laos last at 21.78) per press coverage. 2014 and 2024 points cite an analysis noting a fall from 155th (2014) to 176th (2024). The 2022 rank (180 of 180) was the lowest of any country that edition. Back-fill (pre-2014 editions, researched by deepseek, unreviewed): EPI is biennial and the indicator set changes substantially between editions (e.g. new climate-change indicators in 2022), so ranks across editions are not strictly comparable. Out-of count for 2014 not confirmed (omitted). 2016 edition (reported by some as 141st) and 2012/2010 not confirmed and omitted. Scores: 2018 30.57, 2020 27.6, 2024 27.6 (Wikipedia), 2026 22.46 (Estonia top at 74.79; Laos last at 21.78) per press coverage. 2014 and 2024 points cite an analysis noting a fall from 155th (2014) to 176th (2024). The 2022 rank (180 of 180) was the lowest of any country that edition. Earlier editions added: the Pilot 2006 EPI ranked India 118th of 133 (score 47.7); the 2008 EPI ranked India 120th of 149 (score 60.3); the 2010 EPI ranked India 123rd of 163; the 2012 EPI ranked India 125th of 132. METHODOLOGY BREAK: the pilot 2006 index used 16 indicators across six policy categories, the 2008 and 2010 editions used 25 indicators across ten categories, and the 2012 edition used 22 indicators across ten categories, with country coverage changing from 133 to 149 to 163 to 132; ranks and scores are therefore not comparable across these editions. There was no 2004 EPI (the series began with the Pilot 2006 edition), and the 2016 edition was not confirmed and is omitted.

Government response. MoEF&CC rejects EPI 2022 ranking Environment ministry said several indicators rest on 'surmises and unscientific methods' (Indian Express explainer, June 2022); also reported in Hindustan Times: https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/indias-lagging-sustainability-performance-101656338200590.html