Prelims GS I · 276 questions · 2011–2026
Economy & social development: every Prelims question, by topic
UPSC syllabus: “Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.” Below, the topics inside it — most asked first — and how often each came up year by year.
Economy & social development in Prelims 2015: 21 questions
All years →- Q2 · Budget, taxation & public financeWith reference to the Fourteenth Finance Commission, which of the following statements is/are correct? It has increased the share of States in the central divisible pool from 32 percent to 42 percent.…
- Q4 · Budget, taxation & public financeA decrease in tax to GDP ratio of a country indicates which of the following? Slowing economic growth rate Less equitable distribution of national income…
- Q8 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentIn the 'Index of Eight Core Industries', which one of the following is given the highest weight?…
- Q13 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityThe Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane is approved by the…
- Q22 · Money, banking & monetary policyWhen the Reserve Bank of India reduces the Statutory Liquidity Ratio by 50 basis points, which of the following is likely to happen?…
- Q24 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityIn India, markets in agricultural products are regulated under the…
- Q29 · National income, growth & inflationWhich of the following brings out the 'Consumer Price Index Number for Industrial Workers'?…
- Q31 · External sector & international economic bodiesThe terms 'Agreement on Agriculture', 'Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures' and 'Peace Clause' appear in the news frequently in the context of the affairs of the…
- Q34 · External sector & international economic bodiesConvertibility of rupee implies…
- Q42 · National income, growth & inflationThe Government of India has established NITI Aayog to replace the…
- Q60 · Budget, taxation & public financeWith reference to the Union Government, consider the following statements: The Department of Revenue is responsible for the preparation of Union Budget that is presented to the Parliament. No amount c…
- Q62 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityConsider the following statements: The Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme was launched during 1996–97 to provide loan assistance to poor farmers. The Command Area Development Programme was laun…
- Q65 · Money, banking & monetary policy'Basel III Accord' or simply 'Basel III', often seen in the news, seeks to…
- Q81 · National income, growth & inflationWith reference to Indian economy, consider the following statements: The rate of growth of Real Gross Domestic Product has steadily increased in the last decade. The Gross Domestic Product at market p…
- Q86 · Money, banking & monetary policyWith reference to Indian economy, consider the following: Bank rate Open market operations Public debt Public revenue…
- Q87 · Money, banking & monetary policyWith reference to inflation in India, which of the following statements is correct?…
- Q90 · National income, growth & inflationThe substitution of steel for wooden ploughs in agricultural production is an example of…
- Q94 · External sector & international economic bodiesThe problem of international liquidity is related to the non-availability of…
- Q97 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityWhich one of the following best describes the main objective of 'Seed Village Concept'?…
- Q98 · Budget, taxation & public financeThere has been a persistent deficit budget year after year. Which of the following actions can be taken by the government to reduce the deficit? Reducing revenue expenditure Introducing new welfare sc…
- Q100 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentWith reference to the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA), which of the following statements is/are correct? It is a Public Limited Government Company. It is a Non-Banking Finan…
Economy & social development in UPSC Prelims at a glance
UPSC has asked 276 questions on Economy & social development in GS Paper I from 2011 to 2026 — about 17 a year, the most in 2011 (24). The most-asked topic is Money, banking & monetary policy (60 questions).
| Year | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Questions | 24 | 14 | 17 | 11 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
Counted from UPSC's own papers in the Vault, each question under its main subject · updated 8 Nov 2026.
- Money, banking & monetary policy60 questions · asked in 16 of 16 years
- Budget, taxation & public finance41 questions · asked in 15 of 16 years
- External sector & international economic bodies37 questions · asked in 15 of 16 years
- Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sector32 questions · asked in 13 of 16 years
- Capital markets, insurance & financial instruments28 questions · asked in 11 of 16 years
- Agriculture economy, MSP & food security28 questions · asked in 10 of 16 years
- Industry, infrastructure & investment26 questions · asked in 12 of 16 years
- National income, growth & inflation24 questions · asked in 9 of 16 years
Latest questions
- 2026 · Q24 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentविझिनजाम अंतर्राष्ट्रीय समुद्री पत्तन, भारत के समुद्री व्यापार और संभार तंत्र (लॉजिस्टिक्स) नीति में संरचनात्मक परिवर्तन को किस रूप/किन रूपों में निरूपित करता है ?…
- 2026 · Q28 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityराष्ट्रीय सतत कृषि मिशन (NMSA) के अंतर्गत वर्षा सिंचित क्षेत्र विकास (RAD) पहल का/के उद्देश्य निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा/कौन-से है/हैं ?…
- 2026 · Q29 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentवैश्विक वस्त्र उद्योग में एरी रेशम (सिल्क) के लिए ओको-टेक्स प्रमाणन (Oeko-Tex certification) प्राप्त करने का सर्वाधिक महत्त्वपूर्ण तात्पर्य निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा/कौन-स…
- 2026 · Q56 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorभारत में दिव्यांगजनों के संबंध में निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा/कौन-से कथन सही है/हैं ?…
- 2026 · Q83 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentभारत में सेमीकंडक्टर संयंत्रों और उनके अवस्थानों के निम्नलिखित युग्मों में से कौन-सा सही सुमेलित नहीं है ?…
The same ground in Mains
These official Mains syllabus lines cover Economy & social development. Prelims facts become Mains arguments.
- Economy: planning, growth & employment
- Inclusive growth
- Investment models
- Government budgeting
- International institutions
- Farm subsidies, MSP, PDS & food security
- Food processing
- Land reforms
- Liberalisation & industrial policy
- Infrastructure
- Welfare of vulnerable sections
- Health, education & human resources
- Poverty & hunger
Economy & social development PYQs as a PDF — free
All 48 PDFs →Every Economy & social development question from 2011 to 2026, topic-wise, with answers and explanations — 146 pages. Free; sign up once.
Economy & social development PYQs: quick answers
How many Economy & social development questions has UPSC asked in Prelims from 2011 to 2026?
276 questions in GS Paper I — about 17 a year, the most in 2011 (24). Every one is on this page, under its topic, with UPSC's answer and an explanation.
Which Economy & social development topic does UPSC ask most in Prelims?
Money, banking & monetary policy: 60 questions between 2011 and 2026, asked in 16 of 16 years. The topics are listed above, most asked first, each with its year-by-year trend.
Are the answers UPSC's official answer keys?
From 2016, yes: every answer is from UPSC's final answer key (2016–2025); for 2011–2015, where UPSC published no key online, each answer is worked out from official sources and reviewed independently; for 2026 UPSC has so far published a provisional key, and those answers are labelled. Explanations cite official sources — NCERT and government pages first.
Can I download the Economy & social development PYQs as a PDF?
Yes — a print-ready PDF of every Economy & social development question with answers and explanations (146 pages, 2.7 MB), free after a one-time sign-up, from the Vault's downloads page.
Counted from UPSC's own papers in the Vault; answers are UPSC's keys.
