Prelims GS I · 159 questions · 2011–2026
International relations & current affairs: every Prelims question, by topic
UPSC syllabus: “Current events of national and international importance.” Below, the topics inside it — most asked first — and how often each came up year by year.
International relations & current affairs in Prelims 2026: 21 questions
All years →- Q35 · Government schemes & initiativesConsider the following statements with reference to the Sagarmala Programme of the Government of India: I. The Sagarmala Programme seeks to achieve port-led economic growth through cost-effective and …
- Q38 · International organisations & groupingsAt the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) held in June, 2025 in France, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations demonstrated its leading voice on marine and ocean issues…
- Q60 · Security, defence & exercisesConsider the following statements about Mission Sudarshan Chakra of India: It aims to enhance India’s air defence, ballistic missile defence and aerial offensive capabilities. This Mission is being de…
- Q61 · India & the world: places, pacts & relationsConsider the following statements about river bridges connecting India with neighbouring countries: ‘Maitri Setu’, built over Feni river, connects Ramgarh in India with Sabroom in Bangladesh. Jhulagha…
- Q64 · India & the world: places, pacts & relationsWhich of the following international conventions have not been ratified by India? Employment Policy Convention Abolition of Forced Labour Convention International Convention on the Protection of the R…
- Q65 · Persons, awards & miscellanyConsider the following statements with respect to the AI Impact Summit, 2026 held in New Delhi: The Summit’s intellectual framework was based on three foundational Sutras: People, Planning, and Progre…
- Q66 · India & the world: places, pacts & relationsWhich of the following connectivity projects is/are a part of cooperation between India and the ASEAN member countries? Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project IMT Trilateral Highway Agartala-Ak…
- Q67 · India & the world: places, pacts & relationsMatch List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists: Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project — 1. Maldives Restoration of Stor Palace — 2. Afghanistan District Hospital at Di…
- Q69 · International organisations & groupingsConsider the following statements about platforms for multilateral co-operation: The ‘Colombo Process’ is a regional consultative process in which member states take binding decisions by consensus. Th…
- Q70 · International organisations & groupingsConsider the following UN organisations/ agencies: World Food Programme United Nations Children’s Fund United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees International Labour Organisation…
- Q71 · International organisations & groupingsMatch List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists: UNMIL — 1. 2007 – 2010 MINURCAT — 2. 2002 – 2005 MINUSTAH — 3. 2003 – 2018 UNMISET — 4. 2004 – 2017…
- Q72 · International organisations & groupingsMatch List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists: BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Observatory — 1. NOIDA BIMSTEC Energy Centre — 2. Bengaluru BIMSTEC Centre for Weather…
- Q73 · Security, defence & exercisesWhich one of the following pairs is not correctly matched? (Indian Army Corps: Headquarters)…
- Q75 · International organisations & groupingsWhich of the following countries are members of the European Union? Belarus Poland Germany Switzerland…
- Q76 · Security, defence & exercisesMatch List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists: Silver Notice — 1. To seek information on unidentified bodies Blue Notice — 2. To collect additional information a…
- Q78 · India & the world: places, pacts & relationsThe Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany visited India in January, 2026. Which of the following is/are not correct in terms of outcomes of this visit? Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding…
- Q81 · Persons, awards & miscellany‘X’, born in the UK, was conferred the Nobel Prize in 2025. He was a professor in an American university when this prize was announced. Identify ‘X’:…
- Q82 · Persons, awards & miscellanyWhich of the following statements with regard to the Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments is/are correct? The tournaments have a shared governance structure establishing the partnership among the four Grand …
- Q85 · Persons, awards & miscellanyConsider the following statements with regard to the film ‘Boong’: The film has recently won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award in the Children’s and Family Film category. T…
- Q88 · Reports & indicesWhich one of the following correctly represents the three key sub-indices of the Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)?…
- Q89 · Government schemes & initiativesWhich one of the following best describes the key objective of India’s ‘Open Network for Digital Commerce’ (ONDC) initiative?…
International relations & current affairs in UPSC Prelims at a glance
UPSC has asked 159 questions on International relations & current affairs in GS Paper I from 2011 to 2026 — about 10 a year, the most in 2016 (23). The most-asked topic is International organisations & groupings (56 questions).
| Year | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Questions | 6 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 21 |
Counted from UPSC's own papers in the Vault, each question under its main subject · updated 8 Nov 2026.
- International organisations & groupings56 questions · asked in 14 of 16 years
- Government schemes & initiatives36 questions · asked in 15 of 16 years
- Persons, awards & miscellany22 questions · asked in 9 of 16 years
- India & the world: places, pacts & relations20 questions · asked in 11 of 16 years
- Security, defence & exercises15 questions · asked in 8 of 16 years
- Reports & indices10 questions · asked in 7 of 16 years
Latest questions
- 2026 · Q35 · Government schemes & initiativesConsider the following statements with reference to the Sagarmala Programme of the Government of India: I. The Sagarmala Programme seeks to achieve port-led economic grow…
- 2026 · Q38 · International organisations & groupingsAt the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) held in June, 2025 in France, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations demonstrated its leading vo…
- 2026 · Q60 · Security, defence & exercisesConsider the following statements about Mission Sudarshan Chakra of India:…
- 2026 · Q61 · India & the world: places, pacts & relationsConsider the following statements about river bridges connecting India with neighbouring countries:…
- 2026 · Q64 · India & the world: places, pacts & relationsWhich of the following international conventions have not been ratified by India?…
The same ground in Mains
These official Mains syllabus lines cover International relations & current affairs. Prelims facts become Mains arguments.
International relations & current affairs PYQs as a PDF — free
All 48 PDFs →Every International relations & current affairs question from 2011 to 2026, topic-wise, with answers and explanations — 98 pages. Free; sign up once.
International relations & current affairs PYQs: quick answers
How many International relations & current affairs questions has UPSC asked in Prelims from 2011 to 2026?
159 questions in GS Paper I — about 10 a year, the most in 2016 (23). Every one is on this page, under its topic, with UPSC's answer and an explanation.
Which International relations & current affairs topic does UPSC ask most in Prelims?
International organisations & groupings: 56 questions between 2011 and 2026, asked in 14 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 International relations & current affairs PYQs as a PDF?
Yes — a print-ready PDF of every International relations & current affairs question with answers and explanations (98 pages, 2 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.
