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 2023: 14 questions
All years →- Q21 · Capital markets, insurance & financial instrumentsConsider the following statements: Interest income from the deposits in Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) distributed to their investors is exempted from tax, but the dividend is taxable. InvI…
- Q22 · Money, banking & monetary policyConsider the following statements: In the post-pandemic recent past, many Central Banks worldwide had carried out interest rate hikes. Central Banks generally assume that they have the ability to coun…
- Q24 · Money, banking & monetary policyWhich one of the following activities of the Reserve Bank of India is considered to be part of ‘sterilization’?…
- Q25 · Capital markets, insurance & financial instrumentsConsider the following markets: Government Bond Market Call Money Market Treasury Bill Market Stock Market…
- Q26 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityWhich one of the following best describes the concept of ‘Small Farmer Large Field’?…
- Q28 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentConsider the investments in the following assets: Brand recognition Inventory Intellectual property Mailing list of clients…
- Q29 · Budget, taxation & public financeConsider the following: Demographic performance Forest and ecology Governance reforms Stable government Tax and fiscal efforts…
- Q71 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentConsider the following statements with reference to India: According to the 'Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006', the 'medium enterprises' are those with investments in …
- Q72 · Money, banking & monetary policyWith reference to Central Bank digital currencies, consider the following statements: It is possible to make payments in a digital currency without using US dollar or SWIFT system. A digital currency …
- Q73 · Capital markets, insurance & financial instrumentsIn the context of finance, the term ‘beta’ refers to…
- Q74 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorConsider the following statements: The Self-Help Group (SHG) programme was originally initiated by the State Bank of India by providing microcredit to the financially deprived. In an SHG, all members …
- Q75 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorConsider the following statements: India's public sector health care system largely focuses on curative care with limited preventive, promotive and rehabilitative care. Under India's decentralized app…
- Q86 · External sector & international economic bodiesConsider the following statements: Switzerland is one of the leading exporters of gold in terms of value. Switzerland has the second largest gold reserves in the world.…
- Q88 · External sector & international economic bodiesConsider the following statements: India accounts for 3.2% of global export of goods. Many local companies and some foreign companies operating in India have taken advantage of India's 'Production-lin…
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 & investmentIn what way(s) does the Vizhinjam International Seaport represent a structural shift in India's maritime trade and logistics policy?…
- 2026 · Q28 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityWhich among the following is/are the objective(s) of the Rainfed Area Development (RAD) initiative under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)?…
- 2026 · Q29 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentWhich of the following is/are the most significant implication(s) of obtaining Oeko-Tex certification for Eri Silk in the global textile industry?…
- 2026 · Q56 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorWhich of the following statements with regard to the persons with disabilities in India is/are correct?…
- 2026 · Q83 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentWhich one of the following pairs of semiconductor plants in India and their locations is not correctly matched?…
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.
