Capability agenda

India

Generated 2026-10-03

The frame includes 125 countries. Each dimension is scored from 0 to 100, with no overall ranking, and each score shows its confidence beside it. Read the known limits of the data before you quote a score.

Open the profile: indicators, values, years and sources

Where India stands

Dimension	Score	Confidence	Trend
Anticipation	34.5	0.46	+8.7 over 10 years using 2 indicators
Agency	46.0	0.56	no trend
Coordination	82.0	0.41	no trend
Trust	45.3	0.50	no trend
Learning	21.7	0.55	no trend
Experimentation	12.0	0.53	+3.1 over 10 years using 3 indicators
Adaptability	82.4	0.46	no trend
Building	62.1	0.57	+7.9 over 10 years using 3 indicators
Shared Purpose	63.2	0.38	-1.4 over 10 years using 2 indicators

Score

weakNear the floor of the frame. Check the confidence before reading anything into it.0 to 25
below middleIn the lower half of the frame.25 to 50
above middleIn the upper half of the frame.50 to 75
strongNear the top of the frame on this dimension.75 and above

Confidence

very thin0.00 to 0.25
The score rests on one or two indicators. Do not quote it on its own.
thin0.25 to 0.45
A minority of indicators, or evidence old enough to have moved. Read with care.
usable0.45 to 0.65
Enough evidence to compare countries, with known holes.
good0.65 and above
Most indicators observed, recent, from official or intergovernmental sources.

Capability over time

Select a dimension to see how India’s comparable evidence has moved over time. The vertical scale is the current comparison frame, from 0 to 100.

Dimension

Period

Capability position in the current frame0 to 100

Shared Purpose 1996 → 2026: 59.1 to 56.6 (-2.5) over 30 years using 2 indicators

Historical values use today’s frame from 0 to 100 and a matched basket of indicators. They show movement in the available evidence, not an overall development score. Dated agenda items appear on a separate timeline and do not change the score. A missing line means the evidence does not support a comparable trend for that dimension.

What to raise

These are the lowest scores with usable evidence. Thin evidence appears below.

Experimentation

12.00.53

How easily can new approaches be attempted, tested, abandoned, and improved?

Uses 6 observed indicators. +3.1 over 10 years using 3 indicators.

Highest usable scores: South Korea 72.6, Switzerland 68.6, United States 50.6.

Related deliveries in other countries: The FCA regulatory sandbox (United Kingdom); Yozma, the venture capital catalyst (Israel); Korean regulatory-sandbox system across eight sectors (South Korea); MAS FinTech Regulatory Sandbox variants (Singapore); British Patient Capital, a public venture-capital catalyst (United Kingdom); ICURe, from university research to spinouts (United Kingdom); Portugal Ventures, a public venture-capital bridge (Portugal); Rede Nacional de Test Beds for company experimentation (Portugal); Zonas Livres Tecnológicas, regulator-supervised experimentation zones (Portugal); Banco Central regulatory sandbox, first cycle (Brazil); Capital Markets Authority regulatory sandbox (Kenya); SEC Nigeria Regulatory Incubation Program (Nigeria); ADGM RegLab, the first fintech sandbox in the region (United Arab Emirates); OJK regulatory sandbox for financial-sector technological innovation (Indonesia); Bank Negara Malaysia Fintech Regulatory Sandbox (Malaysia); Bank of Thailand regulatory sandbox (Thailand); Sandbox financiero (Ley 7/2020), and the fall in applications (Spain); IFWG Regulatory Sandbox (South Africa); Project-based regulatory sandbox (new technology demonstration scheme) (Japan); CFPB Compliance Assistance Sandbox, rescinded in 2022 and withdrawn again in 2025 (United States); CSA Regulatory Sandbox, succeeded by the Financial Innovation Hub (Canada); ASIC enhanced regulatory sandbox (Australia); SINTEG-Verordnung, the energy-transition experimentation clause (Germany); Experimenten Elektriciteitswet 2015-2018, and its erosion (Netherlands); Bac à sable réglementaire in the energy sector (France); Italy's FinTech regulatory sandbox, and its contraction (Italy); Bank of Ghana Regulatory Sandbox (Ghana); AFSA FinTech Lab at the Astana International Financial Centre (Kazakhstan); Banque Centrale de Tunisie regulatory sandbox, first cohort (Tunisia); Sandbox Regulatório do Banco de Moçambique (Mozambique); Regulatory Sandbox Licence of the Economic Development Board (Mauritius); Bank of Uganda regulatory sandbox (Uganda); Regulatory Sandbox Framework for Capital Markets, first cohort (Zambia); Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe regulatory sandbox (Zimbabwe); FMA Regulatory Sandbox (Austria); Regulatorisk sandkasse for AI (Datatilsynet and Digitaliseringsstyrelsen) (Denmark); Datatilsynet's regulatory sandbox for privacy-friendly innovation (Norway); Bank of Lithuania regulatory sandbox, with one test in seven years (Lithuania); Narodna banka Slovenska regulatory sandbox (Slovakia); Sandbox for AI and blockchain products, Ministry of Digital Transformation and Ukrainian Startup Fund (Ukraine); Bank of Russia regulatory sandbox (regulativnaya pesochnitsa) (Russia); JoRegBox, the Central Bank of Jordan regulatory sandbox (Jordan); Special regulatory regimes (spetsialnye regulyativnye rezhimy) of the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan); SECP Regulatory Sandbox, four cohorts and an open window (Pakistan); Bank of Jamaica FinTech Regulatory Sandbox (Jamaica); Financial Regulatory Commission sandbox regulatory environment (Mongolia); NAMFISA Regulatory Sandbox, microlending cohort (Namibia); Central Bank of Azerbaijan regulatory sandbox (Azerbaijan).

Missing indicators: Venture deals, Firms through regulatory sandboxes, University spinouts.

Rejected datasets: Business share of R&D.

Learning

21.70.55

How effectively does the country acquire, distribute, and update knowledge?

Uses 3 observed indicators. no trend.

Highest usable scores: Singapore 84.2, Norway 83.4, New Zealand 83.

Missing indicators: Adult learning participation.

Anticipation

34.50.46

How capable is the country of identifying and preparing for emerging change?

Uses 2 observed indicators. +8.7 over 10 years using 2 indicators.

Highest usable scores: Denmark 98.1, Norway 97.2, Switzerland 93.4.

Related deliveries in other countries: Embrapa, a fifty-year bet on tropical agriculture (Brazil); The Delta Programme and its fund (Netherlands); Lei de Informática, a sectoral industrial policy (Brazil); CGEE, the strategic studies center (Brazil); Centre for Strategic Futures, foresight inside government (Singapore); Legally binding carbon budgets (United Kingdom); Fukushima decommissioning roadmap, a 30–40-year risk-reduction horizon (Japan); National basic-research funding allocation (China); PLANAPP and REPLAN, a centre-of-government foresight network (Portugal); Labour Market Intelligence Programme and forward skills planning (South Africa); Government Report on the Future and the parliamentary Committee for the Future (Finland); Foresight Centre at the Riigikogu (Arenguseire Keskus) (Estonia); Office of Technology Assessment, defunded and closed in 1995 (United States); Rządowe Centrum Studiów Strategicznych, liquidated in 2006 (Poland); Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB) (Germany); National Assembly Futures Institute (South Korea); Federal Chancellery situation and environment analysis (Perspektivstab) (Switzerland); Senate foresight delegation (Délégation sénatoriale à la prospective) (France); Senate Commission on Future Challenges, Science, Technology and Innovation (Chile); Policy Horizons Canada, the federal foresight unit, and its 2024 disruption scan (Canada); Framtidskommissionen, the Prime Minister's time-limited future commission (Sweden); National Planning Commission foresight work for Malawi 2063 (Malawi); Bureau National de la Prospective et de la Veille Stratégique and the national prospective studies (Côte d'Ivoire); Teknologiraadet, the Norwegian Board of Technology (Norway); Teknologiraadet, the Danish Board of Technology, abolished in 2012 (Denmark); Bureau federal du Plan (Belgium); Special Secretariat of Foresight (now of Long-term Planning) (Greece); STRATA foresight for the Lietuva 2050 state progress strategy (Lithuania); Institut Royal des Etudes Stratégiques (IRES) (Morocco); Long-term Insights Briefings under the Public Service Act 2020 (New Zealand).

Missing indicators: Government foresight capacity, Long-horizon research commitments.

Trust

45.30.50

How much cooperation is possible beyond immediate personal networks?

Uses 5 observed indicators. no trend.

Highest usable scores: Denmark 94.1, Norway 91.3, Finland 89.7.

Related deliveries in other countries: Cadastro Único, the unified social registry (Brazil); Portal da Transparência, the federal open-books system (Brazil); MyData, citizen-directed data portability (South Korea); Singapore Courts' case-clearance discipline (Singapore); Civil-court clearance and the CEPEJ monitoring series (Portugal).

Missing indicators: Trust in public institutions, Court case clearance rate.

Rejected datasets: Rule of law, Control of corruption, Intentional homicide rate.

Agency

46.00.56

How able are individuals and organizations to turn an intention into action?

Uses 4 observed indicators. no trend.

Highest usable scores: New Zealand 92.3, Australia 89.2, Estonia 84.3.

Related deliveries in other countries: Singapore's national ICT-skills measurement and baseline (Singapore); e.escola, a national laptop-and-broadband push (Portugal); Puntos México Conectado, national digital learning centres (Mexico).

Missing indicators: Adults doing digital tasks.

What to measure first

The evidence is too thin to manage these dimensions confidently.

Shared Purpose

0.38

To what extent can people imagine themselves as participants in a common project?

Uses 3 observed indicators.

Missing indicators: Sense of national belonging, Volunteering, Political polarisation.

Rejected datasets: Voice and accountability.

Coordination

0.41

How effectively can independent actors organize around shared objectives?

Uses 3 observed indicators.

Missing indicators: University-industry collaboration, Public-private collaboration.

Rejected datasets: Government effectiveness, Regulatory quality, Logistics performance.

What to keep watching

These dimensions score at least 50 with usable evidence.

Dimension	Score	Confidence
Adaptability	82.4	0.46
Building	62.1	0.57

Missing data

18 requested indicators have no comparable dataset, and each one lowers confidence. A gap can become an indicator when a comparable series covers at least two countries.

Dimension	Missing indicator	What it asks
Anticipation	Government foresight capacity	Existence, mandate and continuity of a national strategic foresight function.
Anticipation	Long-horizon research commitments	New competitively awarded public research grants that run for five years or longer, as a share of all new competitive public research grants awarded in the year.
Agency	Adults doing digital tasks	Share of adults who carried out a named digital task in the last three months, such as sending a message with an attached file, moving a file between devices or using a spreadsheet formula, counted one task at a time and never as a skill level.
Coordination	University-industry collaboration	Intensity of research collaboration between universities and firms.
Coordination	Public-private collaboration	Frequency and scale of joint public-private delivery of national objectives.
Trust	Trust in public institutions	Confidence in national government, courts and civil service.
Trust	Court case clearance rate	Civil and commercial cases resolved in a year as a share of cases filed in the same year.
Learning	Adult learning participation	Share of adults in formal or non-formal education and training in the last 12 months.
Experimentation	Venture deals	First venture capital rounds closed by companies based in the country in the year, per million people, counted by deal and never by amount.
Experimentation	Firms through regulatory sandboxes	Firms admitted to, and firms completing, a regulatory sandbox or controlled trial regime in the year, per million people, summed across every regulator in the country.
Experimentation	University spinouts	Companies formed to commercialise university research, per million people.
Adaptability	Disaster preparedness and recovery	Demonstrated capacity to prepare for and recover from major shocks.
Adaptability	Institutional responsiveness	Speed at which rules and public programmes are changed in response to new conditions.
Building	Large project delivery	Cost and schedule performance of major public infrastructure projects.
Building	Firm scale-up rate	Share of young firms reaching significant employment or turnover thresholds.
Shared Purpose	Sense of national belonging	Reported identification with and attachment to the national community, as distinct from pride in the nation.
Shared Purpose	Volunteering	Share of adults who volunteered time to an organisation in the last month.
Shared Purpose	Political polarisation	Degree to which political differences run along a single hostile divide.

What the indicators miss about India

Documented deliveries linked to missing indicators. They do not affect scores or confidence.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana bank accounts (Building)
India opened 590.9 million basic bank accounts through existing banks from 2014, holding 3.17 lakh crore rupees in deposits as of 19 August 2026.
Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (Agency)
India's PMGDISHA rural digital-literacy scheme enrolled 73,571,965 people, trained 63,941,718 and certified 47,836,188 by July 2024 through 20 hours of instruction in five digital-task modules.
SWAYAM national online-course platform (Learning)
India's SWAYAM platform offered more than 20,370 courses and recorded more than 65 million enrolments by 12 August 2026 as a national channel for flexible higher-education and skills learning.
Unified Payments Interface, the bank-and-app network (Coordination)
NPCI's UPI rail connected 731 live banks and settled 22,716.07 million transactions worth ₹28,92,138.67 crore in June 2026 through participating banks and payment apps.
CoWIN national COVID-19 vaccination platform (Adaptability)
India used CoWIN to register and scale COVID-19 vaccination nationally, recording more than 2.2067 billion vaccinations and 1.1093 billion registrations by 21 November 2023.
Delhi Commonwealth Games, and the cost-estimate escalation (Building)
India and Delhi hosted the Commonwealth Games in October 2010, but the Comptroller and Auditor General recorded the total estimate rising from ₹1,200 crore in the May 2003 bid to ₹18,532.31 crore by October 2010.
Reserve Bank of India regulatory sandbox (Experimentation)
The Reserve Bank of India ran four themed sandbox cohorts between 2020 and 2024, retail payments, cross-border payments, MSME lending and fraud prevention, admitting 28 entities to test and finding 13 products viable in the three cohorts whose exits it published, and keeps the cohorts open on tap.
UDAN regional air connectivity scheme, and its lapsed routes (Coordination)
India's Ministry of Civil Aviation paid viability-gap funding to private airlines to fly underserved regional routes from April 2017. Of the 774 routes awarded in the first three rounds, 371 commenced, and only 174 were still flying in March 2023; only 54 of the 112 routes that completed their three-year concession kept operating afterwards.
Dedicated Freight Corridors, Eastern and Western (Building)
Indian Railways, through the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation, built two freight-only corridors approved by Cabinet in 2008 at ₹28,181 crore and reassessed in 2015 at ₹81,459 crore, and by March 2025 had commissioned 2,741 of their 2,843 route kilometres.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, the free foodgrain response to COVID-19 (Adaptability)
India's Department of Food and Public Distribution, acting on the Garib Kalyan package announced in March 2020, allocated about 121 lakh tonnes of extra free foodgrains to States on 30 March 2020, and States distributed 37.5 lakh tonnes covering about 75 crore beneficiaries in each of April and May 2020.

Contribute

Fill a gap, file evidence or challenge an indicator at github.com/envisioning/national-capability-benchmark. The docs explain the method and decisions.

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