The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the 27th edition of ‘Women and Men in India 2025’ at Bhubaneswar, Odisha. This flagship statistical publication compiles gender-disaggregated data across health, education, labour, demography, and governance — serving as a key reference for UPSC Prelims and Mains on gender indicators.
Key Data — Women and Men in India 2025
Demography
Indicator
Earlier Data
2025 Report
Sex ratio (females per 1,000 males)
904 (2017–19)
917 (2021–23)
Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)
97 (2018–20)
93 (2019–21)
Urban Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
1.6
1.5
Rural Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
2.2
2.1
Replacement-level TFR
—
2.1
India’s rural TFR has now reached replacement level (2.1) — meaning population stabilization is near for rural India. Urban TFR at 1.5 is below replacement.
Education
Indicator
Male
Female
Change
Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) — Higher Education
28.9
30.2
Female GER now exceeds male
Gender Parity Index (GPI) — Higher Education
—
>1.0
Girls outnumber boys in higher education enrolment
Literacy rate (15+)
~84%
~73%
Gap narrowing
Gender Parity Index (GPI) > 1.0 in higher education means more women are enrolled proportionally than men — a significant reversal from historical trends.
Labour Force Participation
Indicator
2022–23
2024–25
Rural Female LFPR
37.5%
45.9%
Urban Female LFPR
~24–25%
(improving)
Male LFPR (rural)
~78%
~79%
Rural female LFPR has increased sharply — from 37.5% to 45.9% in just two years. Key drivers:
MNREGS participation
PM Vishwakarma and SHG-linked livelihoods
Post-COVID return to agricultural work
Expansion of PMAY-G construction and PMGSY work
Health
Indicator
Value
MMR (2019–21)
93 per lakh live births
MMR target (NHP 2017)
<70 by 2025
Under-5 mortality rate
Improving
Anaemia in women (15–49)
~57% (NFHS-5, 2019–21)
Political Representation
Body
Women’s share
Lok Sabha (18th, 2024)
~13.6% (74 out of 543)
Rajya Sabha
~14.1%
State Assemblies
~10–12% average
Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (2023)
33% reservation — to be implemented after delimitation
Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 (Constitution 106th Amendment Act) provides 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies — operational after next delimitation exercise.
Key Terms and Concepts
Term
Meaning
LFPR (Labour Force Participation Rate)
% of working-age population either employed or actively seeking work
GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio)
Total enrolment regardless of age / total population in relevant age group × 100
GPI (Gender Parity Index)
Ratio of female GER to male GER; >1.0 means female advantage
TFR (Total Fertility Rate)
Average number of children per woman over her lifetime
MMR (Maternal Mortality Ratio)
Deaths per 1,00,000 live births
Sex Ratio
Number of females per 1,000 males
Key Government Schemes — Gender
Scheme
Focus
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
Sex ratio at birth, girl education
PM Matru Vandana Yojana
Maternity benefit — Rs 5,000
Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
Girl child savings scheme
MNREGS
Rural employment; 40%+ women
SHG–Bank linkage
NABARD; women-led micro-finance
Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (2023)
33% women’s reservation in legislatures
UPSC Relevance
Paper
Angle
GS1 — Society
Sex ratio, TFR, gender equality, education
GS2 — Governance
Women’s political representation, reservation, schemes
GS1 — Geography
Population distribution, fertility patterns
Mains Keywords: Women and Men in India 2025, MoSPI, sex ratio, TFR, MMR, Gender Parity Index, rural female LFPR, higher education gender parity, Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, MNREGS women participation
Prelims Facts Corner
Item
Fact
Women and Men in India 2025
27th edition; MoSPI; released Bhubaneswar
Sex ratio (2021–23)
917 females per 1,000 males (up from 904 in 2017–19)
This content was researched and written in collaboration with Claude AI (Anthropic). Key facts are verified against web sources before publishing — but errors can occasionally slip through. If you spot something incorrect, our team wants to fix it immediately.
