History is declining. Environment is rising. Four years of GS Paper 1 in one chart
The composition of GS Paper 1 is not fixed. Subject-by-subject data from 2022 to 2025 shows which areas are expanding, which are shrinking, and what that means for 2026.
The most dangerous assumption in UPSC preparation is that GS Paper 1 has a fixed composition. It does not. Four years of tagged question data shows clear directional trends — some subjects are growing, some are shrinking, and the shift has direct implications for how you should allocate your preparation time.
The four-year picture
GS Paper 1 — question count by subject, 2022–2025
The declining subjects
History — a quiet but consistent drop
History's share of the paper was 16% in 2022 and 16% by 2025. This is not a one-year anomaly — the direction has been consistent across all four years.
The shift within History matters too:
- Ancient and Medieval History — purely factual questions have declined the most
- Modern History and Art & Culture — held up better because they connect naturally to current themes: anniversary commemorations, heritage designations, freedom movement linkages
Key insight
Four years of data now supports deprioritising deep coverage of Ancient and Medieval History. Cover them at moderate depth for breadth; invest the saved hours in the rising subjects.
Science & Technology — declining volume, rising difficulty
S&T has also declined in raw question count. More importantly, the questions that remain are harder — the shift is from broad awareness ("What is CRISPR?") to application questions requiring understanding of a technology's mechanism, limitations, or policy implications.
The rising subjects
Environment — the clearest growth story
Environment has risen consistently: 17% in 2022 to 12% in 2025. This is the fastest-growing subject in GS Paper 1.
The nature of questions has also changed:
- Earlier years — species identification, protected area classification
- Recent papers — international conventions, biodiversity frameworks, questions linking environmental concepts to governance
Economy — steady climb, now third-largest subject
Economy grew from 18% in 2022 to 12% in 2025, driven by RBI policy questions, government scheme linkages, and application-based economic concept questions. Economy has overtaken Geography in recent years.
Current Affairs and International Relations — the volatile pair
Together, their combined share can swing 4–5 questions year to year. In 2025, Current Affairs alone accounted for 10% of the paper — making it one of the largest individual categories.
The stable subject
Polity has resisted all trend lines. Its floor has held at 18–22 questions regardless of what else shifts around it. See our dedicated Polity analysis for the full breakdown.
Spotlight: the four-year shift in detail
The shifting subjects — Environment and Economy rising, History and S&T declining
What this means for your 2026 preparation
Strategy note
Rebalance toward Environment and Economy. Both are rising, both are increasingly Hybrid in nature, and both reward integrated static-plus-current preparation. If you are spending equal time on all eight subjects, you are systematically over-investing in History and S&T relative to where the paper is going.
Strategy note
Within History, prioritise Modern History and Art & Culture. These sub-areas have held their ground while Ancient and Medieval have declined. For Ancient and Medieval: cover the high-frequency sub-topics and don't go deeper than that.
Data note
This analysis covers 2022–2025 — four data points. Trend lines drawn from four points are directional, not definitive. Use this data to inform time allocation, not to eliminate any subject entirely. Every subject has a floor of at least 5–6 questions; nothing is safe to skip entirely.
Further reading & sources