GAIN Index | Measuring What Matters

​Visit the ND-GAIN Index at index.gain.org.

The Global Adaptation Institute (GAIN) will launch its annual resilience index – the GAIN Index – at Princeton University on October 15.

The financial crisis, the increase in food prices and the lack of new jobs being created around the world will negatively impact people’s ability to take destiny in their hands for the foreseeable future. However, new poles of growth and a renewed interest to accelerate reforms can enable the environment for some countries to lead the way.

The GAIN Index is a navigation tool for the private and public sector that assesses 50 indicators in 192 countries for 16 years on the vulnerability and readiness fronts. Vulnerability measures a country’s resilience to the global challenges of urbanization, population shifts, climate change and more. Readiness is a country’s overall preparedness to absorb investments needed to adapt to global challenges.

“Never has there been a tool that measures both readiness and vulnerability side-by-side,” said Founding CEO Dr. Juan José Daboub. “By doing this, we are able to zoom-in on success stories, as well as areas of improvement. The GAIN Index in its second release is better than before because it captures new data and incorporates several new countries. We are eager to unveil the findings at Princeton.” 

The 2012 annual index update includes two new indicators: ecosystem services and urbanization. This was an important addition recommended during the GAIN Index 2012 Open Consultation process. GAIN’s Council of Scientific Advisors, as well as private sector partners working in the sectors of water, food & agriculture, energy and coastal protection were primary participants in this process, which was also open to the public.