Global Gender Gap Index

India has ranked 131 out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025, slipping two places from its position last year. With a parity score of just 64.1%, India is among the lowest-ranked countries in South Asia,

Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI)

• Published by: World Economic Forum (WEF) annually.
• Purpose: Measures gender-based disparities across countries and tracks their progress.
• Four Core Dimensions:
  • Economic Participation and Opportunity
  • Educational Attainment
  • Health and Survival
  • Political Empowerment
• Scoring Range: 0 (complete inequality) to 1 (complete equality).

India’s Overall Ranking and Score (2025)

• Global Rank: 131 out of 148 countries (? 2 ranks from 129 in 2024).
• Overall Score: 1% parity.
• Regional Context:
  • India is one of the lowest ranked in South Asia.
  • Ranked below: Bhutan (119), Nepal (125), Sri Lanka (130).
  • Ranked above: Maldives (138), Pakistan (148).

India’s Performance by Dimension

• Economic Participation and Opportunity
  • Score: 7% (? 0.9 percentage points from 2024).
  • Labour Force Participation: Static at 9%.
  • Estimated Earned Income Parity: 9% (? from 28.6%).
  • Observation: Improvement noted, but income gaps remain significant.
• Educational Attainment
  • Score: 1% – near parity.
  • Reasons: Higher literacy and tertiary enrolment among females.
  • Concern: Education gains not translating into economic/leadership roles.
• Health and Survival
  • Improvement: Parity in sex ratio at birth and healthy life expectancy.
  • Caveat: Overall life expectancy declined ? parity is relative, not absolute.
• Political Empowerment
  • Parliamentary Representation: ? to 13.8% (from 14.7% in 2024).
  • Ministerial Roles: ? to 5.6% (from 6.5%).
  • Trend: Second year of decline, far from 30% peak in 2019.

Global Trends and Key Observations

• Top 5 Countries:

1. 1. Iceland (1st for 16th consecutive year)
   2. Finland
   3. Norway
   4. United Kingdom
   5. New Zealand

• Global Gender Parity Score (2025):8% – Best post-pandemic improvement.
• Estimation: At the current pace, full global parity is 123 years away.
• Leadership Disparity: Women = 41.2% of workforce, but only 28.8% of leadership roles.

Implications for India

• Economic Impact:
  • Gender parity contributes to inclusive and resilient economic growth.
  • WEF reiterates that closing gender gaps boosts GDP, innovation, and governance.
• Policy Challenges:
  • Stagnation in economic participation despite education parity.
  • Decline in political representation indicates institutional and cultural barriers.
  • Need for stronger gender-responsive policymaking, especially in labour, leadership, and political domains.

India: Way Forward

• Implement Gender Budgeting across ministries and states.
• Promote women’s leadership in politics (e.g., reservation in legislatures).
• Strengthen support systems for working women (childcare, maternity benefits).
• Address informal sector vulnerabilities where majority of female labour resides.
• Bridge the gap between educational attainment and workforce participation.