India has slipped to 131st place in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2025, down from 129th in 2024.
Despite some improvements in economic participation and educational attainment, the country continues to struggle with political empowerment, where female representation in Parliament and ministerial roles has declined.
Key Findings:
•Overall Gender Parity Score: 64.1%, among the lowest in South Asia.
•Economic Participation & Opportunity: Improved by 0.9 percentage points to 40.7%, with estimated earned income parity rising from 28.6% to 29.9%.
•Labour Force Participation: Remained steady at 45.9%, India’s highest level to date.
•Educational Attainment: Scored 97.1%, reflecting gains in female literacy and tertiary education enrolment.
Political Empowerment: Dropped by 0.6 points, with female representation in Parliament falling from 14.7% to 13.8%, and women in ministerial roles declining from 6.5% to 5.6%https://www.iasjnana.com/.
Global Context:
Iceland leads the rankings for the 16th consecutive year, followed by Finland, Norway, the UK, and New Zealand.
•Bangladesh emerged as the best performer in South Asia, jumping 75 ranks to 24th globally.
•The global gender gap has closed to 68.8%, marking the strongest annual advancement since the COVID-19 pandemic.
About the World Economic Forum
•The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international organization based in Cologny, Switzerland, known for shaping global, regional, and industry agendas through public-private cooperationhttps://www.iasjnana.com/.
Founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab, WEF is best known for its Annual Meeting in Davos.
Key Aspects of WEF:
•Mission: To improve the state of the world by fostering dialogue between governments, businesses, and civil society.
•Major Reports: Publishes influential reports like the Global Gender Gap Index, Global Risks Report, and Future of Jobs Reporthttps://www.iasjnana.com/.
•Annual Davos Summit: Held every January, featuring discussions on economics, technology, climate change, and geopolitics.
•Strategic Initiatives: Focuses on areas like Fourth Industrial Revolution, climate action, economic growth, and global governancehttps://www.iasjnana.com/.
