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Global Gender Gap Index 2025, India’s Rank, Gender Parity

Global Gender Gap Index 2025 has been released, ranking 148 countries. India slips two spots to 131st rank in the Global Gender Gap Index 2025, in which Iceland ranked first.
authorImageDeeksha Dixit18 Jun, 2025
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Global Gender Gap Index 2025

 

Global Gender Gap Index 2025 suggests that the global gender gap has been closed by around 68.8%. This means the world is about two-thirds of the way to achieving full gender parity. Although there has been some improvement compared to last year, the progress is still very slow. At the current rate, it will take over 123 years to reach global gender equality. 

As India slips to 131st (129 in 2024) in the Global Gender Gap Index 2025, it highlights the urgent need for stronger actions to close the gap, especially in political and economic fields!

Global Gender Gap Index 2025 Highlights

The Global Gender Gap Index is released every year by the World Economic Forum (WEF). It helps us understand how well countries are doing in ensuring equal rights and opportunities for men and women. The index measures gender equality across four main areas: economic participation, education, health, and political empowerment. The 2025 Global Gender Gap Index finds interesting trends:

Indicator 2025 Status Key Details
Number of countries ranked 148 Covers over two-thirds of the world’s economies.
Global gender gap closed 68.8% Up from 68.4% in 2024; highest since index inception.
Years to full parity (at current pace) 123 years Improved by a decade from last year’s estimate.
Economic Participation & Opportunity 61.0% closed Remains the slowest area of progress globally.
Educational Attainment 95.1% closed Near parity, with modest annual improvement.
Health and Survival 96.2% closed Highest parity among subindexes.
Political Empowerment 22.9% closed Remains the largest gap, but saw improvement this year.
Women in workforce (global) 41.2% Women hold only 28.8% of top leadership positions.

Global Gender Gap Index 2025 2025 Top Ranking

The 2025 rankings show that Nordic countries continue to lead the way in gender equality. Iceland remains in the top position for the 16th year in a row, having closed more than 92% of its gender gap. Here is the list of the top 10 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2025 2025:

Rank 2025 Country Score (0-1, 1 = parity)
1 Iceland 0.926
2 Finland 0.879
3 Norway 0.863
4 United Kingdom 0.838
5 New Zealand 0.827
6 Sweden 0.817
7 Republic of Moldova 0.813
8 Nambia 0.811
9 Germany 0.803
10 Ireland 0.801

India’s Rank in Global Gender Gap Index 2025

India ranks 131 out of 148 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2025. This is a slight drop from its 129th position in 2024. However, India’s overall score improved slightly from 64.1% to 64.4%. This means India is making some progress, but slower than other countries. 


Here is how India performed in each indicator of the Gender Gap Index 2025:

Indicator Score (0-1) Rank Key Details
Economic Participation & Opportunity 0.407 144
  • Improved by +0.9 percentage points. 
  • Parity in estimated earned income rose from 28.6% to 29.9%. 
  • Labour force participation rate stable at 45.9%. 
  • India ranks among the bottom five globally in this category.
Educational Attainment 0.971 110
  • Near parity achieved. 
  • Positive shifts in female literacy rates and tertiary education enrolment.
Health and Survival 0.954 143
  • Improvement in sex ratio at birth and healthy life expectancy.
  • Overall, life expectancy declined for both genders. 
  • Parity improved but remains nominal due to broader health challenges.
Political Empowerment 0.245 69
  • Declined by 0.6 points.
  • Female representation in Parliament dropped from 14.7% to 13.8%
  • In ministerial roles, from 6.5% to 5.6%.
  • 2025 marks the second consecutive year of decline 

Global Gender Gap Index 2025 India Vs South Asian

The Global Gender Gap report highlights that India ranks fifth among the seven South Asian countries, ahead of only Maldives and Pakistan. Bangladesh continues to lead South Asia in gender equality, ranking much higher globally. This is mainly due to the high representation of women in politics and leadership positions.

Nepal and Bhutan are ahead of India, showing better scores in education and political participation. Sri Lanka, too, ranks just above India. Pakistan remains at the bottom of both the regional and global rankings due to serious gaps in all four areas.

Country Global Rank
Bangladesh 24 (77.5%)
Bhutan 119
Nepal 125
Sri Lanka 130
India 131
Maldives 138
Pakistan 148

To sum up, India’s ranking in the Global Gender Gap Index 2025 shows progress in education and health, but slow improvement in economy and politics. To achieve true gender parity, both government and society need to work together. Focused efforts can help India rise in future rankings.

Explore UPSC courses by Physics Wallah to boost your preparation with guidance and real-world understanding of governance and social justice!

Global Gender Gap Index 2025 FAQs

What is the Global Gender Gap Index?

The Global Gender Gap Index measures how equally men and women are treated in areas like health, education, economy, and politics.

What is India rank in the 2025 Gender Gap Index?

India ranks 131 out of 148 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2025.

Which country ranks first in the Gender Gap Index 2025?

Iceland ranks first in the 2025 index, having closed more than 92% of its gender gap.

How does India compare with other South Asian countries?

India ranks lower than Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, but is ahead of Pakistan.

Global Gender Gap Index 2025 was released by?

The Global Gender Gap Index 2025 was released by the World Economic Forum.
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