Global Gender Gap Report 2025: India Ranks 131 of 148
Why in the news
The World Economic Forum’s 2025 gender gap report left India near the bottom of the table. Education improved a little, but women’s economic inclusion and health stayed weak.
Key facts
- India’s rank: 131 out of 148 countries.
- Global gap closed: 68.8%, with 123 years to parity at today’s pace.
- Four sub-indices: economic participation, education, health and survival, political empowerment.
- India’s rank in economic participation: 143rd.
Findings for India
| Area | Finding |
|---|---|
| Work | Female labour force participation below 25%; women earn less than one-third of men’s pay; few women in formal jobs, leadership or entrepreneurship |
| Output loss | McKinsey (2015) estimated a $770 billion GDP gain if gaps closed |
| Health | Skewed sex ratio at birth showing son preference; NFHS-5 shows 57% of women aged 15 to 49 anaemic; shorter healthy life expectancy than men |
| Unpaid care | Time Use Survey: women do 7 times more unpaid domestic work than men |
| Leadership | Thin presence in legislatures, boardrooms, budget committees and judiciary |
Consequences
- Over half of India’s human capital is under-used, which drags growth and innovation.
- With the elderly share set to reach 20% by 2050 and fertility falling, low female workforce participation raises the dependency ratio and strains public finances.
- Poor women’s health weakens productivity and learning; few women in policymaking leaves care infrastructure weak and welfare poorly targeted.
- Girls in unequal settings face poorer nutrition, schooling and mobility, which keeps poverty going.
Way forward
- Raise health spending on reproductive health, anaemia and nutrition.
- Build the care economy (childcare, elder care, paid maternity support); Uruguay’s National Care System is the model cited.
- Lift participation: skilling, flexible work, equal pay, workplace protection.
- Regular Time Use Surveys, wider gender-responsive budgeting and gender-disaggregated data in planning.
- Campaigns against patriarchal stereotypes and for valuing daughters.
Exam angle
- Best practice named: Uruguay’s National Care System.
- Rank: 131 of 148 overall; 143rd on economic participation.