Global Gender Gap Report 2025

1. Introduction

The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 is an annual report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) that assesses the extent of gender parity between women and men across countries. Unlike indices that measure the overall status of women, the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 evaluates the gap between men and women in access to opportunities and outcomes across economic participation, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Since its first publication in 2006, the report has become an important global benchmark for assessing progress towards gender equality and inclusive development.

For India, the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 India serves as a valuable indicator of the country’s progress in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 – Gender Equality and promoting women’s empowerment. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2025, India ranked 131st out of 148 countries with an overall gender parity score of 64.4%. While India has made progress in areas such as education and economic participation, persistent challenges including low female labour force participation, limited political representation, health disparities and socio-cultural barriers continue to constrain its overall performance. The report underscores the need for sustained policy interventions to achieve equitable and inclusive development.

2. Global Gender Gap Report (GGGR): Key Features

• Published by the World Economic Forum (WEF): The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 is published annually by the World Economic Forum (WEF). First introduced in 2006, it has become one of the most authoritative global reports for assessing gender equality and tracking the progress made by countries in reducing gender disparities.
• Measures Gender Gap, Not Women’s Development: The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 measures the gap between women and men in access to opportunities and outcomes. It does not measure the absolute level of women’s empowerment or a country’s level of development. Consequently, both developed and developing countries can perform well if they have achieved greater gender parity.
• Based on Four Dimensions of Gender Equality: The Global Gender Gap Index evaluates countries on four key dimensions:
  • Economic Participation and Opportunity: Labour force participation, wage equality, estimated earned income, representation in senior positions and professional employment.
  • Educational Attainment: Literacy rate and enrolment in primary, secondary and tertiary education.
  • Health and Survival: Sex ratio at birth and healthy life expectancy.
  • Political Empowerment: Representation of women in Parliament, ministerial positions and years with a female Head of State.
• Focuses on Relative Gender Parity: The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 uses a parity-based methodology, comparing women’s achievements with those of men rather than comparing countries solely on development indicators. This enables meaningful cross-country comparisons irrespective of differences in economic development.
• Provides a Comprehensive Assessment of Gender Equality: By combining economic, educational, health and political indicators, the report offers a holistic picture of gender equality. It also helps governments identify sectors where gender gaps remain significant and formulate targeted policies for women’s empowerment.
• Supports Global Development Goals: The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 contributes to monitoring progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 – Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls. It also highlights that reducing gender gaps is essential for promoting inclusive economic growth, social justice and sustainable development.

3. India’s Performance in the Global Gender Gap Report 2025

India’s Overall Ranking and Score

According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2025, India ranked 131st out of 148 countries with an overall gender parity score of 64.4%. India slipped three places compared to the previous report despite a marginal improvement in its overall parity score, indicating that several other countries made faster progress in reducing gender gaps. The India Gender Gap Ranking 2025 continues to remain among the lower-ranked countries globally, highlighting the need for sustained reforms to achieve gender equality.

Performance in Economic Participation and Opportunity

India recorded a modest improvement in the Economic Participation and Opportunity dimension, mainly due to an increase in estimated earned income parity. However, female labour force participation, wage disparities, under-representation of women in leadership positions and the high proportion of women employed in the informal sector continue to limit India’s performance in this dimension. Despite recent improvements, economic empowerment remains one of India’s major challenges.

Performance in Educational Attainment and Health

India has achieved near gender parity in educational attainment, with improvements in female literacy and enrolment at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. This reflects the positive impact of sustained investments in girls’ education over the years. However, the Health and Survival dimension continues to be affected by challenges such as an adverse sex ratio at birth, nutritional deficiencies and gender disparities in healthcare access, although gradual improvements have been observed.

Political Empowerment Remains the Weakest Dimension

The Political Empowerment dimension remains India’s weakest area in the Global Gender Gap Index. The report highlights relatively low representation of women in Parliament, ministerial positions and other decision-making roles. Although the enactment of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 marks a significant step towards increasing women’s political representation, its full impact will be reflected only after the implementation of reservation following the delimitation process. Consequently, political gender parity continues to be a major area requiring policy attention.

4. Reasons for India’s Low Ranking in the Global Gender Gap Report

Low Female Labour Force Participation

One of the primary reasons for India’s low ranking is the low participation of women in the labour force. Although women have made significant progress in education, a relatively smaller proportion participate in paid employment due to factors such as limited employment opportunities, unpaid domestic responsibilities, workplace safety concerns and social norms. A large number of working women are also employed in the informal sector, where wages, job security and social protection are relatively weak. Consequently, India continues to perform poorly in the Economic Participation and Opportunity dimension.

Gender Wage Gap and Limited Economic Opportunities

Women in India continue to face disparities in wages, career progression, access to productive assets and leadership positions. They remain under-represented in senior managerial roles, corporate leadership and high-paying sectors. Limited access to finance, entrepreneurship opportunities and digital resources further restricts women’s economic empowerment, thereby widening the gender gap in income and employment.

Low Political Representation of Women

Despite increasing participation of women in local self-government through constitutional reservations, their representation in Parliament, State Legislatures and higher executive positions remains comparatively low. Women continue to be under-represented in ministerial positions and key policy-making institutions. Although the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 provides for 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, its implementation is yet to take effect, limiting its impact on India’s current ranking.

Health and Nutrition Challenges

Gender disparities in health continue to affect India’s performance. Issues such as an adverse sex ratio at birth, high prevalence of anaemia among women, maternal health challenges, malnutrition and unequal access to healthcare services continue to influence the Health and Survival dimension. While improvements have been made in maternal mortality and life expectancy, persistent health inequalities continue to reduce overall gender parity.

Social and Cultural Barriers

Deep-rooted patriarchal norms, gender stereotypes, early marriage, unpaid care work and restrictions on women’s mobility continue to limit women’s participation in education, employment and public life. Women spend significantly more time on household and caregiving responsibilities than men, reducing their opportunities for economic and professional advancement. These socio-cultural factors remain one of the most significant barriers to achieving gender equality in India.

Regional and Educational Disparities

Although India has achieved near gender parity in school enrolment at the national level, considerable disparities persist across states, rural and urban areas, and socio-economic groups. Access to higher education, digital literacy, vocational training and employment opportunities varies significantly across regions, limiting the overall progress towards gender equality. These persistent disparities are an important aspect of Gender Inequality in India and continue to influence the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 assessment.

5. Major Government Initiatives for Gender Equality

Improving Economic Participation and Opportunity

Enhancing women’s economic empowerment is essential for reducing the gender gap in employment, income, entrepreneurship and leadership, which constitute the Economic Participation and Opportunity dimension of the Global Gender Gap Index. The Government has launched several initiatives to promote financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, skill development and sustainable livelihoods for women.

• Stand-Up India Scheme: Facilitates bank loans ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹1 crore to women entrepreneurs for establishing greenfield enterprises in manufacturing, services and trading sectors.
• Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY): Provides collateral-free loans to women entrepreneurs under the Shishu, Kishore and Tarun categories, encouraging self-employment, micro-enterprises and financial independence.
• DAY–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM): Promotes women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) by providing access to credit, financial literacy, skill development and livelihood opportunities. The programme has significantly enhanced rural women’s economic participation.
• Lakhpati Didi Initiative: Aims to enable women associated with Self-Help Groups to earn an annual income of at least ₹1 lakh through entrepreneurship, value addition and diversified livelihood activities.
• PM Vishwakarma: Supports women artisans and traditional craftspeople through skill upgradation, toolkit incentives, concessional credit and market linkages, thereby improving productivity and income generation.

Strengthening Educational Attainment

Education is the foundation of women’s empowerment and plays a crucial role in improving the Educational Attainment dimension of the Global Gender Gap Index. The Government has implemented several programmes to ensure equal access to quality education, reduce gender disparities and enhance learning outcomes for girls.

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP): Launched to address the declining child sex ratio while promoting education, survival and empowerment of the girl child through awareness campaigns and community participation.
• National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: Emphasises universal access to education, gender inclusion, multidisciplinary learning, digital education and vocational training, with special measures to improve girls’ participation and reduce school dropouts.
• Samagra Shiksha: An integrated school education programme covering pre-primary to Class XII, focusing on inclusive education, gender-sensitive infrastructure, scholarships and improved learning outcomes.
• PM SHRI Schools: Develops model schools equipped with modern infrastructure, digital classrooms and competency-based learning, ensuring equitable access to quality education for girls.
• NIPUN Bharat Mission: Seeks to ensure Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) for every child by Grade 3, laying a strong educational foundation and reducing gender disparities in learning outcomes.

Improving Health and Survival

Improving women’s health, nutrition and access to quality healthcare is essential for reducing gender disparities in the Health and Survival dimension of the Global Gender Gap Index. The Government has introduced several flagship schemes focusing on maternal health, child health, nutrition and universal healthcare.

• POSHAN Abhiyaan: Aims to reduce stunting, wasting, undernutrition and anaemia among women, adolescent girls and children through a convergence-based nutrition strategy.
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): Provides cash assistance to pregnant and lactating women to support proper nutrition, adequate rest and safe institutional delivery.
• Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY): Encourages institutional deliveries by providing financial incentives to pregnant women, thereby reducing maternal and neonatal mortality.
• Mission Indradhanush: Expands immunisation coverage for children and pregnant women against vaccine-preventable diseases, improving maternal and child health outcomes.
• Ayushman Bharat (AB-PMJAY): Provides health insurance coverage for economically vulnerable families and strengthens primary healthcare through Health and Wellness Centres, improving women’s access to affordable healthcare services.

Enhancing Political Empowerment and Institutional Support

Increasing women’s participation in political decision-making, governance and leadership is critical for improving the Political Empowerment dimension of the Global Gender Gap Index. Alongside legislative reforms, the Government has established institutional mechanisms to create a safer and more enabling environment for women’s active participation in public life.

• Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 (Women’s Reservation Act): Provides 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Once implemented after delimitation, it is expected to substantially increase women’s representation in legislative institutions.
• 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments: Provide not less than one-third reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Several states, including Bihar, have enhanced the reservation to 50%, significantly strengthening women’s participation in grassroots democracy.
• Mission Shakti: An umbrella programme that integrates initiatives related to women’s safety, protection, rehabilitation, skill development and empowerment, enabling women to participate more effectively in economic, social and political spheres.
• One Stop Centres (Sakhi Centres): Provide integrated services including medical assistance, legal aid, police support, temporary shelter and psychological counselling to women affected by violence, thereby strengthening institutional support and access to justice.
• Women Helpline (181) and Mahila Police Volunteers (MPVs): Enhance women’s safety through emergency assistance, grievance redressal and community-level support, creating a more secure environment that encourages women’s participation in education, employment, governance and public life.

6. Way Forward

To improve its performance in the Global Gender Gap Report 2025, India needs to adopt a comprehensive and long-term approach to address structural barriers to gender equality. The key priorities include:

Increasing Women’s Workforce Participation

• Create more employment opportunities for women in both formal and informal sectors.
• Improve access to safe transportation, childcare facilities and flexible work arrangements.
• Promote women’s entrepreneurship, skill development and access to credit.
• Reduce gender-based discrimination and wage disparities in the workplace.

Enhancing Political Representation

• Increase women’s participation in Parliament, State Legislatures and local governance.
• Ensure effective implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
• Build leadership capacity among women and encourage greater participation in political decision-making.
• Strengthen institutional mechanisms for women’s representation and empowerment.

Improving Education and Skill Development

• Ensure universal access to quality education for girls, particularly in rural and disadvantaged communities.
• Reduce school dropout rates among adolescent girls.
• Expand vocational education, digital literacy and skill-development opportunities for women.
• Promote STEM education and higher education among women.

Strengthening Women’s Health and Nutrition

• Improve access to quality healthcare and reproductive health services.
• Address malnutrition and anaemia among women and girls.
• Strengthen maternal healthcare and nutritional support programmes.
• Focus on reducing regional disparities in health outcomes.

Promoting Financial Inclusion and Entrepreneurship

• Expand women’s access to formal banking, credit, insurance and digital financial services.
• Strengthen programmes supporting women-led enterprises and self-help groups.
• Encourage greater participation of women in emerging sectors and new economic opportunities.

Addressing Social and Cultural Barriers

• Promote gender-sensitive education and awareness from an early age.
• Challenge discriminatory social norms and practices affecting women.
• Strengthen legal protection against gender-based violence and discrimination.
• Encourage greater sharing of household and care responsibilities between men and women.

A sustained focus on these areas can help reduce Gender Inequality in India and improve India’s position in the India Gender Gap Index 2025. For aspirants preparing Global Gender Gap Report UPSC topics, these measures are particularly important for understanding the link between gender equality, inclusive growth and sustainable development.

7. Conclusion

The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 highlights that India has made progress towards gender equality, particularly in education and certain areas of economic participation. However, significant gaps continue to exist in political empowerment, women’s workforce participation, health and nutrition, and social and cultural opportunities.

The findings of the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 India demonstrate that achieving gender equality requires sustained efforts across multiple dimensions. Improving India’s India Gender Gap Ranking 2025 will depend not only on government schemes but also on greater participation of women in the economy, politics, education and decision-making.

Addressing Gender Inequality in India is essential for achieving inclusive growth, social justice and sustainable development. India’s progress in the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 will ultimately depend on its ability to translate policy commitments into meaningful improvements in women’s opportunities, capabilities and outcomes.

For Global Gender Gap Report UPSC preparation, the issue is important because gender equality is closely connected with SDG 5, inclusive growth, human development, social justice and women’s empowerment. The India Gender Gap Index 2025 therefore provides a useful framework for analysing India’s progress as well as the structural challenges that continue to affect gender parity.

BPSC Mains Practice Question

Critically examine India’s performance in the Global Gender Gap Report 2025. What are the major factors responsible for India’s low ranking, and what measures can be adopted to improve gender equality in India?

Learn More from the World Economic Forum (WEF)

The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 is published by the World Economic Forum (WEF). For detailed information on the report, methodology and global gender parity findings, readers can visit the official World Economic Forum website.