Why this matters now
It is a Prelims index item and a GS-1 hook on the status of women. Crucially, it measures the gap between women and men — not absolute development — so a poorer country can rank above a richer one on parity. Released annually.
Who publishes it
The index is published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which has tracked the global gender gap since 2006.
The four sub-indices
- Economic Participation and Opportunity (labour-force participation, wages, leadership);
- Educational Attainment (literacy and enrolment);
- Health and Survival (sex ratio at birth, healthy life expectancy);
- Political Empowerment (women in parliament, ministries, head-of-state years).
A score of 1 means full parity; the index reports how much of the gap has been closed.
India’s position
In 2025, India ranked around 130th. India does relatively well on political empowerment historically but lags badly on economic participation (low female labour-force participation and wage gaps) and on health and survival (sex ratio at birth). Iceland, Finland and Norway led the global table. (Update the rank to the latest edition.)
UPSC angle
Remember the publisher (WEF) and the four sub-indices. Key insight: it measures the gender gap, not development — and India’s weakest area is economic participation.
Frequently asked questions
Who publishes the Global Gender Gap Index?
The World Economic Forum (WEF), which has produced it since 2006.
What are the four sub-indices of the Gender Gap Index?
Economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
What was India’s rank in 2025?
India ranked around 130th of 146+ countries. (The exact position changes each year.)
On which dimension does India lag most?
Economic participation (low female labour-force participation and wage gaps), and health and survival (sex ratio at birth).