Record Rise of Self‑Made Women Billionaires – Hurun Report 2026

Introduction

  • A record 150 self-made women billionaires worldwide in 2026, according to the latest Hurun report.
  • Their combined wealth has surged to $470 billion, reflecting a sharp rise driven by various sectors.
  • China continues to dominate the list, and new entrants highlight an expanding base of entrepreneurship.

Why in news?

  • The count has doubled from 75 a decade ago to 150 today, showing strong momentum in wealth creation.
  • Total wealth is up 52% in three years.
  • 60 new entrants were added in 2026, while around 15 dropped off the list.
  • Over 80% are new compared to a decade ago.

Background

  • China maintains the top spot with 78 billionaires, followed by the United States with 40, while other countries lag far behind.
  • Cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing have become major hubs for women entrepreneurs.
  • Artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and digital infrastructure are emerging as major wealth engines.

Significance

  • The rapid increase underscores expanding entrepreneurship and sustained momentum in wealth creation among self-made women.
  • Sectoral shifts show semiconductors and data infrastructure rising to compete with healthcare in generating wealth, supporting the global AI boom.
  • Changing demographics reveal both an average age of 61 and a growing cohort of younger billionaires, including 10 under 40, illustrating new pathways through consumer brands and digital platforms.

Facts/General knowledge

  • Sectoral trends: healthcare leads with 16 billionaires, followed by retail and software; industrial products linked to electronics and AI hardware are gaining importance; semiconductors and data infrastructure are key rising areas.
  • AI and technology: the rise of AI is a major trend; notable names include Daniela Amodei, Lucy Guo, Mira Murati, and Lisa Su.
  • India’s presence: three representatives—Radha Vembu (enterprise software), Falguni Nayar (retail), and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (biotechnology).
  • Top wealth creators: Diane Hendricks leads with $24 billion, followed by Zhong Huijuan and Zhou Qunfei.
  • Demographics: the average age is 61; there are now 10 women under 40, including Kylie Jenner.

Global Mind Health 2025 – India Highlights

Introduction

  • Sapien Labs, a not-for-profit organisation, released the Global Mind Health 2025 report under its Global Mind Project.
  • The report is based on the Mind Health Quotient (MHQ).

Why in news?

  • Publication of the Global Mind Health 2025 report with specific findings related to India.

Background

  • The Global Mind Project is an initiative of Sapien Labs.
  • MHQ encompasses all aspects of mental function: emotional, cognitive, and social, as well as drive and resilience.

Significance

  • Reveals a wide disparity between young adults (18–34) and older adults (55+) in India’s mental health scores and global rankings.
  • Benchmarks India’s young adults notably below the global MHQ.

Facts/General knowledge

  • Global MHQ: 66.
  • India (ages 18–34): MHQ 33; rank 60th globally.
  • India (ages 55 and above): MHQ 96; rank 49th globally.
  • Ultra-processed food consumption among India’s 18–34: 44%, associated with increased depression and diminished emotional and cognitive control.

World Obesity Atlas 2026 – India and Global Highlights

Introduction

  • The World Obesity Atlas 2026, released by the World Obesity Federation on World Obesity Day (4 March), presents an assessment of overweight and obesity trends, with a particular focus on the escalating burden in India.

Why in news?

  • The Atlas reveals alarming statistics for India, signalling a growing public health emergency that requires urgent attention.

Background

  • Obesity is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that poses health risks.
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) is a screening tool estimating body fat from height and weight (BMI = weight (kg) ÷ [height (m)]²).
  • Adult BMI categories (20+ years): Underweight (<18.5), Healthy/Normal (18.5–24.9), Overweight (25.0–29.9), Obesity (≥30.0; Class I: 30.0–34.9, Class II: 35.0–39.9, Class III: ≥40.0).
  • For those under 20 years, BMI is interpreted using ageand sex-specific percentiles: Underweight (<5th), Healthy weight (5th to <85th), Overweight (85th to <95th), Obesity (≥95th), Severe obesity (≥120% of 95th percentile or BMI ≥35).
  • Higher BMI correlates with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and other metabolic disorders; waist circumference, body composition, and clinical assessments should complement BMI.

Significance

  • India has nearly 15 million children aged 5–9 years and more than 26 million aged 10–19 years who were overweight or obese in 2025, placing it 2nd-highest globally for children with high BMI (41 million).
  • Disease indicators linked to high BMI among Indian children aged 5–19 are projected to rise from 2025 to 2040, underscoring escalating health needs.
  • Expected increases in India (2025–2040): BMI-related hypertension from 2.99 million to 4.21 million; hyperglycaemia from 1.39 million to 1.91 million; high triglycerides from 4.39 million to 6.07 million; MASLD from 8.39 million to 11.88 million.
  • The world is set to miss the 2025 target to halve the rise in childhood obesity (now extended to 2030), highlighting the urgency for action.
  • Policy recommendations include taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, restrictions on marketing to children (including digital), implementing global physical activity recommendations, protecting breastfeeding, healthier school food standards, and integrating prevention and care into primary health systems.

Facts/General knowledge

  • Global distribution: China, India, and the United States each have over 10 million children living with obesity; China leads (62 million high BMI, 33 million obesity), followed by India, and the US (27 million high BMI, 13 million obesity).
  • Over 200 million school-age children (5–19 years) with overweight and obesity are concentrated in just 10 countries.
  • Currently, 20.7% of children aged 5–19 worldwide are overweight/obese (up from 14.6% in 2010), with projections of 507 million affected children by 2040 and over 57 million showing early cardiovascular disease signs.
  • Among women (15–49 years), 13.4% have high BMI and 4.2% live with type 2 diabetes.
  • Preventable risk factors: 74% of adolescents (11–17 years) fail to meet physical activity recommendations; only 35.5% receive school meals; 32.6% of infants (1–5 months) experience sub-optimal breastfeeding; children aged 6–10 consume up to 50 ml of sugary drinks daily.

Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2026

Introduction

  • The Global Terrorism Index is an annual report that measures the impact of terrorism in 163 countries, analysing trends, patterns, and the global distribution of terrorist activity.

Why in news?

  • The Global Terrorism Index 2026 has been released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), providing a global assessment of the impact and trends of terrorism across countries.

Background

  • IEP is headquartered in Sydney.
  • The GTI is based on data from Dragonfly’s TerrorismTracker database, which maintains detailed and structured records of terrorist incidents reported in open sources worldwide since January 2007.

Significance

  • Pakistan ranked first in the Global Terrorism Index 2026, indicating the highest impact of terrorism among all countries.
  • India is ranked 13th with a score of 6.428 in terms of the impact of terrorism worldwide.
  • The Sahel region accounted for more than half of all terrorism-related deaths in 2025, compared to less than 1% in 2007.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa continued to be the global epicentre of terrorism, with terrorism-related deaths declining in ten countries while increasing in only four.
  • Nearly 70% of terrorism-related deaths occurred in just five countries: Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded the largest increases in terrorism-related deaths, with rises of 237 and 102 deaths, respectively.

Facts/General knowledge

  • Factors used: total number of terrorist incidents, total number of fatalities, total number of injuries, and total number of hostages in a given year.
  • Methodology: each factor is assigned a weight ranging from zero to three, and a five-year weighted average is used to capture the prolonged psychological impact of terrorist incidents over time.
  • Deadliest terror group: the Islamic State (IS) remains among the deadliest terrorist organisations globally.