About the Index
The Global Gender Gap Report is published annually by the World Economic Forum (WEF), headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. First released in 2006, the 2025 edition is the 19th edition, released on 12 June 2025. It benchmarks gender parity across 148 economies.
Methodology
The Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) measures the gap between men and women across four sub-indices:
| Sub-Index | Weight | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Economic Participation & Opportunity | 25% | Labour force participation, wage equality, earned income, senior officials |
| Educational Attainment | 25% | Literacy rate, primary/secondary/tertiary enrolment ratios |
| Health & Survival | 25% | Sex ratio at birth, healthy life expectancy |
| Political Empowerment | 25% | Women in parliament, ministerial positions, female heads of state |
Score range: 0 (total inequality) to 1 (full parity). Scores are expressed as percentages of the gap that has been closed.
India’s Performance
India ranks 131st out of 148 economies with an overall gender parity score of 64.4% — below the global average of 68.8%. India slipped 2 positions from 129th in 2024, despite a marginal improvement of 0.3 percentage points in overall score.
Sub-Index Breakdown
| Sub-Index | India’s Score | Rank | Observation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Participation & Opportunity | 40.7% | ~145 | Among bottom 5 globally |
| Educational Attainment | 97.1% | ~117 | Near parity |
| Health & Survival | 95.0% | ~142 | Adverse sex ratio is a drag |
| Political Empowerment | 24.9% | ~68 | Declined from 2024 |
Key Concerns
- Economic participation is India’s weakest area — female labour force participation remains among the lowest globally
- Political empowerment declined: Women’s representation in Parliament fell from 14.7% to 13.8%, and ministerial representation dropped from 6.5% to 5.6%
- Health & Survival ranks near the bottom due to skewed sex ratio at birth
Historical Trend
| Year | Rank | Score (%) | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 112 | 66.8 | 153 |
| 2021 | 140 | 62.5 | 156 |
| 2022 | 135 | 62.9 | 146 |
| 2023 | 127 | 64.3 | 146 |
| 2024 | 129 | 64.1 | 146 |
| 2025 | 131 | 64.4 | 148 |
Regional / South Asian Comparison
| Country | Rank (2025) | Score (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | ~99 | ~69 |
| Nepal | ~109 | ~67 |
| Sri Lanka | ~122 | ~66 |
| India | 131 | 64.4 |
| Pakistan | ~145 | ~57 |
Key Highlights of Latest Edition
- Iceland leads for the 16th consecutive year with 92.6% parity — the only economy to have closed over 90% of its gender gap since 2022
- The global gender gap score stands at 68.8% — at current pace, full parity will take 123 years
- The Nordic countries (Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden) dominate the top rankings
- India ranks 5th in South Asia, behind Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan
- Economic opportunity gap has widened globally, with automation and AI disproportionately affecting women’s employment
- The report notes that only 4 countries have fully closed the educational attainment gap while also achieving over 80% economic parity
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: GGGI four sub-indices, India’s rank, top performers, WEF HQ (Geneva), first edition (2006), score interpretation Mains GS-1: Gender inequality in India — causes, manifestations, government interventions (Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Mahila Shakti Kendra, One Stop Centres) Mains GS-2: Women in politics — Women’s Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023), Panchayati Raj 73rd Amendment (1/3 reservation), declining women in Parliament Interview: “India’s educational gender gap is nearly closed at 97.1%, yet economic participation is only 40.7% — what explains this disconnect?”
