The report is prepared by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Key Highlights of the report:

• The world economy is projected to grow by 2.7 per cent in 2024, instead of 2.4 per cent forecasted earlier.
• India's expected growth rate for the year 2024 is 6.9%, and for 2025 it is  6.6%.
• Technological breakthroughs  especially processing and use of critical minerals has opened up new opportunities for boosting economic growth.

Critical Minerals

• They are  metallic or non-metallic elements that are considered to have a role in a country’s economic or national security.
• Every country develops their own lists of critical minerals based on the relative importance of industrial needs and strategic assessment of supply risks. 
• India has listed 30 critical minerals like Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium etc.

Challenges in investment of critical minerals

• Concentration of resources in a few geographical locations may lead to supply chain vulnerabilities For ex-Lithium triangle consisting of Argentina, Chile and Bolivia
• Supply-chain and national security concerns are increasingly shaping critical mineral sector policies for ex-European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act (2024).
• Unsustainable Mining and processing.