India 16, US 66, China 68: Which is the new index where India has outperformed major global powers; check details here

India has secured the 16th position in the Responsible Nations Index 2026, outperforming the US and China, while Singapore emerged as the world’s most responsible nation.

India has ranked 16th among 154 countries in the newly launched Responsible Nations Index (RNI) 2026. India has secured its place in the Top-20 Countries that Use their Power Responsibly Index for the benefit of their citizens, environment, and world.

The World Intellectual Foundation (WIF) released the Responsible Nations Index (RNI) 2026 in New Delhi last week in academic partnership with renowned universities. As per WIF, how a country responsibly uses its power is just as important if not more important than its economic size or military strength.

About Responsible Nations Index

There are many indices released every year that rank countries based on various factors such as GDP, Military Strength, and many others. However, this newly released Responsible Nations Index brings a new dimension to it by focusing on factors such as Responsible Governance, Sustainability, Social Justice, and Care for others.

The index is based on 3 main Categories-

• Responsibility Towards its citizens (Internal Responsibility)
• Responsibility Towards Environment (Environmental Responsibility)
• Responsibility Towards World (External Responsibility)

Which are further divided into 7 dimensions and 58 indicators mentioned below-

• Internal Responsibility
• Social Welfare
• Social Justice & Empowerment
• Human Rights
• Gender Equality
• Environmental Responsibility
• Natural resources & Climate Change
• Pollution
• External Responsibility
• Global Welfare
• Foreign Policy
• Philanthropy

The data for the index has been collected from sources like World Bank, UNICEF, UNDP, IMF, WHO, FAO and WJP (World Justice Project).

Top Countries in Responsible Nations Index

Singapore secured 1st position, while Switzerland, Denmark, Cyprus, and Sweden were ranked second, third, fourth, and fifth respectively in the RNI 2026. India has ranked higher than the U.S which is ranked at 66th and China at 68th position.

Japan and U.K came in 38th and 25th position respectively. With this index, it has been clearly shown that the size of the economy or geopolitical significance does not define how responsible a country is towards its citizens, environment, and world.

“The emergence of RNI 2026 shows that responsible use of power will become one of the most critical factors when judging nations” quotes The Times of India.

India Rankings in the New Indices in categories

• Internal Responsibility: 18th
• Environmental Responsibility: 5th
• External Responsibility: 10th

Reason behind the new index

Times of India quotes scientists associated with the index as stating that responsible use of national power will become one of the most critical factors when judging nations going forward.

“If we want to tackle climate change, poverty, inequality and other societal problems, or even collaborate to take on shared challenges such as pandemic prevention… we need to rethink how we measure nations,” they added.

The index aims to push countries towards more responsible behavior by highlighting areas where they can improve to create a better world for future generations.