Jun 20, 2025
10
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About the Global Gender Gap Report: The Global Gender Gap Report is an annual index published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) Since its launch in 2006 it remains the longest-standing global survey for measuring gender parity across four dimensions – Economic Participation & Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health & Survival, and Political Empowerment.
Thus, understanding the global gender gap report upsc concept aligns with static syllabus (Article 15(3), SDG 5 on gender equality) and current affairs. The global gender gap report published by WEF serves as a benchmark for global and national progress on gender equality.
Highlights from Global Gender Gap Report Over the Years
Global Gender Gap Report (upsc context):
Published annually by the World Economic Forum.
Tracks parity across-
1. Economic Participation
2. Educational Attainment
3. Health & Survival
4. Political Empowerment
Global Gender Gap Report 2025:
India’s Global Gender Gap Report India Rank:
2020–21: ranked 112th, parity ~68.8% (2nd in South Asia).
2024: slipped to 129th out of 146.
In 2025, further dropped to 131st out of 148; score ~64.1%
Global Trends: :
Top 5 countries in Global Gender Gap Index 2025 were Iceland (for the 16th consecutive year), Finland, Norway, UK and New Zealand.
Asia: Bangladesh improved dramatically (99th → 24th) in 2024 .
Global gap: Education & health near parity; economic and political empowerment still lag.
Comparative Summary Table
Year | Global Score | India Rank | India Score |
2020–21 | ~68% | 112 | 68.8% |
2024 | ~68% pre‑pandemic | 129 | — |
2025 | 69.0% | 131 | 64.1% |
Relevance for UPSC Mains
Important for GS2 (Social Justice): women's schemes, empowerment, political representation.
UPSC question link: “G17 question on WEF as publisher” refers to the Global Gender Gap Report.
Covers static syllabus areas such as rights, schemes, and social justice.
Global Gender Gap Report 2025 (19th edition, published by WEF):
Covers 148 economies; global gap is 68.8% closed, marking the fastest annual gain since the pandemic
Warns full parity takes 123 years if progress continues at current pace
Component-wise performance:
Political Empowerment: Weakest area – just 22.9% closed.
Economic Participation: Stronger gains; women make up 41.2% of workforce but hold only 28.8% leadership roles
Education & Health: Both exceed 95% parity, near-equal globally
Global trends:
Strongest improvements in political and economic empowerment.
Education and health are nearly equal, but leadership gaps persist.
Global gender gap upsc relevance: vital for UPSC candidates linking to GS‑2 (social justice), women’s schemes, empowerment metrics.
India’s Performance:
In subindices, India shows gains in Economic Participation (40.7%) with improvement in income parity from 28.6% to 29.9%, and Educational Attainment at a high 97.1%, indicating near-parity in literacy and tertiary education enrolment.
Health and Survival improved with better sex ratio and life expectancy. However, Political Empowerment fell by 0.6 points, with women’s representation in Parliament down from 14.7% to 13.8% and ministerial representation fell from 6.5% to 5.6%.
Table of content
Country/Region | Rank | Parity Score (%) | Key Notes |
Iceland | 1 | 92.6 | 16th straight year at top |
Finland | 2 | 87.9 | Consistent high parity |
Norway | 3 | 86.3 | Slight income/leadership dips |
UK | 4 | 83.8 | Historic gender-equal cabinet |
New Zealand | 5 | 82.7 | Top 10 inclusion |
Bangladesh | 24 | ~77.5 | Quota-led surge in empowerment & workforce |
India | 131 | ~64.1 | Lower global gender gap report india rank; leadership shortfalls |
India in the Global Gender Gap Report 2025
Global Gender Gap Report 2025 published by the World Economic Forum tracks 148 economies
Global gender gap report india rank:
2025: 131/148, parity ~ 64.1% (64.4% per WEF)Sub‑index scores:
Regional context (South Asia):
Trails: Bangladesh (24), Nepal (125), Bhutan (119)
Just ahead of Sri Lanka (130), ahead of Maldives (138) and Pakistan (148)
UPSC relevance:
Global gender gap report upsc focus on interpreting global gender gap report published by WEF and analysing global gender gap report india rank
Key for GS2 topics: women's schemes (e.g., Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Nari Shakti), political representation, gender indicators
India’s Sub‑Index Scores in Global Gender Gap Report 2025:
Sub‑Index | Score (%) | Notes |
Education | 97.1 | Near full parity |
Health & Survival | 95.4 | High parity |
Economic Participation & Opportunity | 40.7 | Moderate gains; earnings lag |
Political Empowerment | 24.5 | Very low; leadership gap |
Global View (from Global Gender Gap Report 2025)
Equal education achieved: women now often outnumber men in tertiary education.
Political representation rising modestly; 2025 sees historic numbers of women in legislatures.
Many countries adopted gender quotas, pay equity laws, and gender budgeting.
Latin America led progress—advancing 8.6 points since 2006 via policy reforms
The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 (published by WEF) confirms these trends, reinforcing that deliberate policies move the needle
India’s Progress
Policy & Legislative Reforms
- Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (2023): Reserves 33% seats for women in Parliament and state legislatures—implementation underway by 2029; current representation <15%.Education & Skill Development
- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Vigyan Jyoti have boosted girls’ STEM uptake.
- Female GER in higher education rose from 42.5% (2017‑18) to 46.3% (2022‑23).
- Female GER has consistently exceeded male GER since 2017‑18, with increased STEM enrolment (~42.6%)Economic Participation & Financial Inclusion
- Female LFPR improved from 23.3% (2017‑18) to 41.7% (2023‑24); WPR rose from 22% to 40.3% in the same period, and unemployment fell from 5.6% to 3.2%
- Initiatives like Stand-Up India, Mahila E‑Haat, Mudra loans, and 28 crore women with Jan Dhan accounts support entrepreneurship and financial independence.Health & Reproductive Rights
- PM Matru Vandana Yojana, Janani Suraksha Yojana, and NHM reduced MMR from 174 (2013–15) to 97 (2018–20).Social Norms & Corporate Representation
- Media and societal shifts are embracing women in leadership.
- 97% of NSE‑listed companies have at least one woman director.Rural Empowerment
- Under MGNREGA, women make up 57% of workers, enhancing rural income and autonomy.
UPSC Relevance (Global Gender Gap Report UPSC Focus)
Identifying policy gaps:
Political Empowerment is India’s weakest pillar (13–15% representation), a critical area flagged by global gender gap report upsc analysis.
Economic participation still lags (~40–45% parity), especially in earnings (under 30%).
Schemes & policy interventions:
Highlighted schemes: Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (one-third reservation), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Vigyan Jyoti, PMMVY, PMJDY, Stand-Up India, Mudra.
Effective for answering GS‑2 (Social Justice) questions—global gender gap report upsc context strongly emphasizes these links.
Essay and answer structure for UPSC:
Start with global context and WEF’s role (global gender gap report published by WEF).
Analyse India’s rank and subindex performance, using global gender gap report india rank.
Discuss schemes and their impact on education, health, economic participation.
Identify policy gaps—Political Empowerment and earnings parity—and recommend strengthening quota implementation, corporate leadership, skill training.
Conclude linking to social justice and governance.
Global vs Indian Comparison Table
Dimension | Global Stride (2025) | India’s Status |
Educational Parity | Achieved globally | 46.3% GER; near-universal parity (97.1%) |
Health & Survival | Excellent (>95%) | Strong maternal health, improved index |
Economic Participation & Earnings | Quotas + reforms working | 40–45% parity; earnings ~30% |
Political Empowerment | Historic legislature gains | Low: ~13–15%; 33% quota law passed |
Key Barriers Highlighted in the Global Gender Gap Report UPSC Context
Low female labour‐force participation (~41.7%), mostly in informal, low-paid roles
High unpaid care burden: Women do ~289–352 minutes/day vs. ~88 for men
Unsafe workplaces & patriarchal norms deter formal employment
Political underrepresentation: Only 13.8% in parliament, 5.6% ministerial posts — Indian women still lag
Cultural and educational drop-out issues: ~40% of teenage girls drop by age 15 due to menstrual stigma/safety
Wage & leadership gap: Women earn ~60–70% of male wages; only ~17% in corporate leadership
Health & nutrition disparities: Maternal health, reproductive care still poor in rural areas
Policy implementation gaps: Many schemes suffer low take-up & weak enforcement
Sub-Index Snapshot: India vs Global Average (Global Gender Gap Report 2025)
Release of Global Gender Gap Report 2025 (June 2025) : GS-II (Social Justice: Women’s issues), GS-III (International indices), International Affairs
International Women’s Day 2025 (8 March 2025) : GS-II (Women Empowerment, Social Issues), Government Schemes (campaigns), Social Awareness
Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women’s Reservation Act, Sept 2023) : GS-II (Polity: Reservation), Women Empowerment, Legislation
Beijing Declaration +30 (CSW69, Mar 2025) : GS-II (International Relations: UN Commitments), GS-II (Gender Issues)
Economic Survey 2024–25 (Feb 2025) : GS-III (Economic Development), Women’s Labour (Social Infrastructure)
1. What is the Global Gender Gap Report, and who publishes it?
The Global Gender Gap Report is an annual index, first published in 2006 by the World Economic Forum, measuring gender parity across four dimensions: Economic Participation, Education, Health, and Political Empowerment
2. What are the key findings of the Global Gender Gap Report 2025?
The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 reports a global parity of 68.8%, historical progress in Education and Health (>95%), economic and political empowerment still lagging, and a slow pace for full parity, projected at 123 years
3. What is India’s rank in the Global Gender Gap Report 2025?
India is ranked 131 out of 148 nations, with a score of ~64.1%, placing it behind most South Asian peers — referred to as global gender gap report india rank — and near the bottom in Political Empowerment
4. What major challenges keep India's ranking low?
Key obstacles include:
Female workforce participation (~41%) dominated by informal, low‑paid roles
High unpaid care burden
Political representation only ~13.8% in Parliament
Persistent wage and leadership gaps
Gaps in maternal health and policy reach
5. How can India improve, according to Global Gender Gap Report UPSC insights?
Solutions include:
Scaling skill training and STEM education for women
Strengthening labour laws, anti-harassment measures, and workplace childcare
FAST-tracking parliamentary quota implementation
Enhancing female entrepreneurship through targeted financial schemes
Promoting gender-sensitive curricula, public campaigns, and robust data collection
In Global Gender Gap Report 2025, published by the World Economic Forum, the global gender gap has closed by 68.8% — the fastest progress since the pandemic — but full parity remains 123 years away at current rates. India ranks 131st out of 148, with an overall score of ~64.1%, highlighting persistent weaknesses in Political Empowerment and Economic Participation
For UPSC aspirants, this means contextualizing domestic policy in a global benchmark, connecting Global Gender Gap Report 2025 data to schemes like Beti Bachao, Reservation, and skill programmes — precisely the kind of dynamic-static synthesis valued in GS‑2 (Social Justice) answers under the global gender gap report upsc framework.
Internal Linking Suggestions
How to Begin Your UPSC Preparation : The Ultimate Guide For Beginners
UPSC Previous Year Question Papers with Answers PDF - Prelims & Mains (2014-2024)
India’s First Gene-Edited Sheep: A Leap in Agricultural Biotechnology Kashmir UPSC
External Linking Suggestions
UPSC Official Website – Syllabus & Notification: https://upsc.gov.in/
Press Information Bureau – Government Announcements: https://pib.gov.in/
NCERT Official Website – Books for UPSC: https://ncert.nic.in/
