India’s drop in the Global Gender Gap Index 2025 is not just a statistic; it is a mirror to our national priorities. Even as other countries leap ahead, India is stuck in a loop of marginal gains and systemic setbacks.
On June 12, 2025, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released the 19th edition of its Global Gender Gap Report. Unfortunately, India’s ranking and performance in the report raise concerns. The country dropped two positions to rank 131 out of 148 countries, which is a concerning decline in its efforts toward gender parity. India had ranked 129 in 2024 and 127 in 2023. Back in 2020, it held the 112th spot among 153 nations. The new ranking reveals that India is not making the necessary progress to close the gender gap.
About the Global Gender Gap Report
Since 2006, the Cologny (Switzerland) based World Economic Forum has published the annual Global Gender Gap Report, measuring gender parity using a 0 to 100 scale. A higher score means greater gender equality. The report evaluates countries across four key dimensions of gender parity:
- Economic Participation and Opportunity
- Educational Attainment
- Health and Survival
- Political Empowerment
Each category/dimension receives a score between 0 and 1, with the average determining the country’s overall ranking. The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 edition assessed 148 economies, covering two-thirds of the global population. While no country has achieved full parity, the top 10 have closed at least 80% of their gender gaps. Globally, the gender gap now stands at 68.8% closed, marking the fastest progress since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still, at the current rate, full equality will take another 123 years!
India in the 2025 Gender Gap Index: Some steps forward, several steps back
India’s overall gender parity score is 64.1%, placing it among the lowest-ranked countries in South Asia. While there are minor improvements in some areas, the country’s overall position reflects stagnation in closing gender disparities.
India’s performance falls short compared to that of its South Asian neighbours. Bangladesh made the most notable progress, climbing 75 positions to rank 24th globally. Nepal ranked 125, Sri Lanka at 130, Bhutan at 119, Maldives at 138, and Pakistan at 148.
1. Economic participation and opportunity
India saw a slight improvement here, rising from 39.8% in 2024 to 40.7% in 2025. This 0.9 percentage point increase was driven mainly by better performance in estimated earned income parity, which went up from 28.6% to 29.9%. However, other indicators, such as labour force participation rate, remained unchanged at 45.9%, the highest India has ever achieved.
2. Educational attainment
India made progress in this category as well, improving its score to 97.1%, up from 96.4% in 2024. The country now ranks 110th globally. India ranks first in terms of enrolment in secondary education and 91st in primary education enrolment. This improvement comes from a rise in the female literacy rate and increased women’s enrolment in tertiary education.
3. Health and survival
India now ranks 143rd in this dimension, up one place from last year. The country has closed 95.4% of the gender gap in terms of Health Index, compared to 95.1% in 2024. Improvements in the sex ratio at birth and healthy life expectancy contributed to this marginal gain. However, similar to global trends, the increase in parity occurred even as overall life expectancy declined for both men and women.
4. Political empowerment
It remains India’s weakest area, with the parity score dropping from 25.1% in 2024 to 24.5% in 2025. India now ranks 69th globally in this dimension. Two key indicators drove the decline:
- Women’s representation in Parliament fell from 14.7% to 13.8%.
- Share of women in ministerial roles decreased from 6.5% to 5.6%.
These drops mark the second year of decline, moving India further away from its 2019 score, when women held 30% of ministerial positions. In June 2024, India elected 74 women MPs to the 18th Lok Sabha, which was marginally lower than in 2019, when 78 women became members of the Lower House of Parliament.
Who is leading, and why India isn’t?
The 2025 Global Gender Gap Report is mixed. While there has been measurable progress in closing the gender gap, the data also reflects how uneven that progress remains, especially when it comes to leadership positions worldwide.
Countries like Iceland, Finland, Norway, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand continue to lead the way. Iceland has held the top spot for the 16th year in a row, with its consistent focus on both political and economic representation for women. These nations have become benchmarks in gender parity, not only because of their current rankings but also due to their long-term commitment to creating equal opportunities.
A closer look at global workforce participation reveals a significant imbalance in leadership roles. Women now make up 41.2% of the worldwide workforce, but only 28.8% of top leadership positions are held by women. This underrepresentation points to long-standing structural barriers, particularly in sectors where decision-making power is concentrated.
The report also compares gender parity across eight major global regions.
- In 2025, North America recorded the highest average gender parity at 75.8%, followed closely by Europe at 75.1%.
- Latin America and the Caribbean achieved a score of 74.5%, while Central Asia, Eastern Asia, and the Pacific scored 69.8% and 69.4%, respectively.
- Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 68%, slightly ahead of Southern Asia at 64.6%.
- The Middle East and North Africa remained the lowest, with a parity score of 61.7%.
Commenting on this, Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director, World Economic Forum, said, “At a time of heightened global economic uncertainty and a low growth outlook combined with technological and demographic change, advancing gender parity represents a key force for economic renewal. The evidence is clear. Economies that have made decisive progress towards parity are positioning themselves for stronger, more innovative and more resilient economic progress.“
The final thoughts
India’s drop in the gender gap rankings should raise serious concerns. The numbers show that while there’s some progress in areas like education and health, we’re losing ground where it matters most, like economic opportunity and political voice. Are we truly creating space for women to lead, earn, and shape policy?
We need more women in decision-making roles, better support in workplaces, and policies that don’t just exist on paper. We’ve seen other countries improve with long-term focus and consistent effort. It’s time India matched them and not stuck in a cycle of small wins that don’t lead to real change.
At Changeincontent, we ask—can India afford another year of lost opportunity? When gender parity is key to economic growth, why are we still making excuses instead of policies?
Also read: India ranks 130 in human development, but income and gender disparities still hold us back.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are based on the writer’s insights, supported by data and resources available both online and offline, as applicable. Changeincontent.com is committed to promoting inclusivity across all forms of content. We broadly define inclusivity as media, policies, law, and history, encompassing all elements that influence the lives of women and marginalised individuals. Our goal is to promote understanding and advocate for comprehensive inclusivity.
