CONTEXT

• Global indices help benchmark a country’s development
• The 19th edition of the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 by World Economic Forum (WEF) highlights persistent global gender disparities.

CONCEPT

• Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) evaluates 148 countries across 4 pillars:

1. Economic Participation & Opportunity
2. Educational Attainment
3. Health & Survival
4. Political Empowerment

• Scores range from 0 (inequality) to 1 (equality). Introduced in 2006.
• Full gender parity remains 123 years away at current pace.

CURRENT HIGHLIGHTS (GLOBAL)

• Overall parity: 68.8% — highest post-pandemic annual gain.
• Top performers:

1. Iceland (92.6%) – 16th year at top
2. Finland
3. Norway
4. UK
5. New Zealand

• Gender gaps closed globally:

1. Health & Survival – 96.2%
2. Education – 95.1%
3. Economic Opportunity – 61.0%
4. Political Empowerment – 22.9%

• Women hold 41.2% of workforce but only 28.8% of top leadership roles.

India’s Performance (Rank 131/148):

• Overall parity: 64.1%, slight improvement (+0.3 points), but rank fell 2 places.
• Subindex-wise performance (2025 vs 2024):
  • Economic Participation: 0.407 (Rank 144) ↑
  • Education: 0.971 (Rank 110) ↑
  • Health: 0.954 (Rank 143) ↑
  • Political Empowerment: 0.245 (Rank 69) ↓
• Positive: Literacy, tertiary education enrolment, income parity improved.
• Negative: Decline in women MPs (13.8%) & ministers (5.6%).

Other Key Gender Indices

• Gender Inequality Index (GII) – UNDP | India: Rank 102/172 | Value: 0.403
• Gender Development Index (GDI) – UNDP | India: 0.874 (Female HDI: 0.631, Male: 0.722)
• Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI) – UNDP & UN Women | Tracks 4 human development dimensions
• Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI) – UNDP & UN Women | India’s score: 0.52