Most massive military spender in 2025.
By 2024, the world defence spending was 2.46 trillion.
This was an improvement of the $2.24 trillion it spent in the last year, and it took the average defence expenditure to 1.9% of the world GDP.
It is increased from 1.6% in 2022 and 1.8% in 2023.
In 2025, the US is the largest military spender in the world.
Not only does US remain on the top of the list, but 62.3 per cent of the top five military spenders in the world are also in the US.
China and Russia rank second and third after US with 18.6 per cent and 8.8 per cent, respectively.
India is considered as one of the major military powers in the world as it stands at position four in the Global Firepower Index.
The government through the Union Budget FY 2025 has awarded the Defence Ministry a budget amounting to Rs 6.81 lakh crore.
It was consuming an amount of 13.45% of the total Union Budget.
This was causing it to be the largest allocation among government ministries.
Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2025.
The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific releases it.
Asia and the Pacific has made progress and 54 per cent of the indicators in 2024 have two or more data points.
Serious gaps also exist, especially in disaggregation of data according to age, disability, sex and location.
The report had cautioned that something immediate needs to be done to ensure that the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are achieved by 2030.
WEF report on Quantum Economy.
This report was called Embracing the Quantum Economy: A Pathway to Business Leaders.
It emphasizes the potential transformative ability of quantum technologies and offers a roadmap on how businesses can realize the economic potential of quantum technologies.
It is estimated that the world quantum technology market will be worth $125 billion by 2030.
The Sectors such as healthcare, finance, logistics, and energy will gain tremendously.
Companies and countries that invest in quantum research and development like the U.S., China, and India are trying to gain strategic positions in defence, economy, and technological superiority.
Blueprint to Close the Women Health Gap Report.
This is a report prepared by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey Health Institute.
Women spend two fifths of their lives in ill health as compared to men.
There are 9 chosen conditions that lead to 1/3rd of the health gap among women.
It has conditions that influences lifespan and conditions that influences health span that comprises Cervical & Breast cancer, Maternal hypertensive disorders etc.
Reducing this health disparity would create one trillion dollars in world GDP in 2040.
Moving through Global Financial System Fragmentation report.
This report has estimated fragmentation caused by statecraft policy up to 5-percent of global GDP costing the global economy between $0.6 trn and 5.7 trn.
This can be attributed to the decreased trade and cross-border capital flows and lost economic efficiencies.
The greatest burden in the worst fragmentation scenario can be loaded on India and some of the other emerging economies.
Already 71% (1999) to 58% (2024) of the dollar in world reserves.
The extent of the differences that occurs between the jurisdictions in the prices of economically identical (or similar) assets, or in the cross-border free movement of capital etc., are also referred to in this Fragmentation.
UNICEF report on Education
UNICEF released a report called, Learning Interrupted: The Global Snapshot of Climate-Related School Disruptions in 2024.
Climate events in 2024 have disrupted the education of at least 242 million students in pre-primary to upper secondary education.
The report cited 119 climate hazards which caused disruption in schools.
The greatest disruptions were due to heat waves, which affected at least 171 million children.
In April alone more than 118 million students were affected.
The Nationwide school upheavals in Bangladesh, Cambodia and the Philippines interrupted the education of more than 63 million children.
In September 18 million students were hit by tropical cyclones.
In 2024, 1.8 million children in Zimbabwe were affected by a prolonged drought, affecting their schooling.
In South Asia, it impacted the most with 127,845,148 students facing school disruptions caused by climate in 2024.
Most of them, 54 million, were in India and most were victims of heat waves but 35 million were also victims in Bangladesh.
Flood related disruptions have largely affected the East and Southern Africa as well as the West and Central Africa, disrupting 8 million and 12 million students, respectively.
Fourth Industrial Revolution Impact Report.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) published Centre for the