Former President Ram Nath Kovind Launches Responsible Nations Index 2026; Singapore Tops, India Ranked 16th

NDTV | January 19, 2026 | 10:49 PM IST | Breaking News, India, Politics | Follow on Google News

Former President Ram Nath Kovind Launches Responsible Nations Index 2026; Singapore Tops, India Ranked 16th

Former President Ram Nath Kovind launched the Responsible Nations Index (RNI) at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre (DAIC) in Delhi on Monday.

This is a first-of-its-kind global index that evaluates 154 countries based on how responsibly they exercise their power towards their citizens and in terms of internal responsibility, the global community (external responsibility), and the environment (environmental responsibility).

In the RNI, Singapore ranks first among the 154 countries, followed by Switzerland in second place, Denmark in third, and Cyprus in fourth. India is ranked 16th, one place above France.

This is the first global index that assesses countries’ performance based on “responsibility” rather than power or economic capacity.

Significantly, powerful countries like the United States are ranked 66th, one place below Libya. Japan is ranked 38th.

Pakistan is ranked 90th in the Responsible Nations Index, while Afghanistan is ranked 145th.

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The index was developed jointly by the World Intellectual Foundation, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Mumbai, and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

To assess the performance of countries under the RNI, data up to 2023 from international institutions such as the World Bank, United Nations, IMF, WHO, and Food and Agriculture Organisation were used.

“This index defines a responsible nation by how responsibly it behaves towards its citizens. This is a comprehensive index. At one time, countries were ranked based on economic and military capabilities. But the Responsible Nations Index (RNI) shows how a country treats its citizens,” said Ram Nath Kovind during the launch.

According to the former President, there are three important criteria for assessing a country’s capabilities: internal responsibility, environmental accountability, and responsibility towards other nations.

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