THE GLOBAL GENDER Gap Report 2025, released by the World Economic Forum, has ranked India131 among 148 nations. Last year, India was ranked 129. The latest ranking raises questions about the country’s use of hu man capital. India has closed only 64 per cent of its overall gender gap. This figure is below the southern Asia regional av erage of 64.6 per cent. It is also far below the figures in many other regions. India’s ranking in economic partici pation is a dismal 40.7 per cent. This places it among the bottom five globally, alongside Sudan, Iran and Pakistan. Indian women still earn less than a third of what men earn on an average, with an extremely low presence in senior roles and under 50 per cent parity in labour force participation. The report found the so-called “drop-to-the-top” ef fect in India where more girls graduate, but few make it into leadership or formal employment. India also sees a high career break rate for women, with parenting and informal caregiving roles dominating their trajectories. India has a lot to catch up, it appears.
