The Gender Snapshot 2025

Nearly 64 million more FEMALE ADULTS are food insecure than males.

Dietary deficiencies worsen the health of WOMEN AND GIRLS, escalating the risk of anaemia, which is projected to rise among WOMEN aged 15-49 from 31.1% in 2025 to 33% in 2030.

From 2000–2023, maternal mortality declined by 39.3%.

Yet, across their lives, WOMEN SPENT 10.9 YEARS in poor health compared to 8.0 years for men in 2021, suffering from various chronic conditions.

An integrated life course approach to healthcare is critical.

Globally, GIRLS have surpassed boys in school enrolment and completion.

Yet, GIRLS continue to lag behind boys in secondary completion in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia. In 65 of 70 countries, WOMEN are far more likely to be secondary schoolteachers than principals.

On average, the global gap is 20 percentage points.

Discriminatory legal frameworks prevail in many parts of the world.

In the past five years, 99 POSITIVE LEGAL REFORMS helped to remove discriminatory laws and establish gender equality legislative frameworks across the world. Yet only 38 countries have established 18 years as the minimum marriage age without exceptions and just 63 countries have rape laws based on the lack of consent.

Over 1 IN EVERY 8 WOMEN aged 15–49 has been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months globally (12.5%).

Nearly 1 IN EVERY 5 YOUNG WOMEN aged 20–24 was first married or in a union before age 18 (18.6%), down from 22% in 2014.

Each year, 4 million GIRLS undergo female genital mutilation, with over 2 million before age 5.

WOMEN AND GIRLS devote 2.5x as many hours per day to unpaid domestic and care work compared to men. In Northern Africa and Western Asia, WOMEN spend over four times as many hours as men.

As of 1 January 2025, WOMEN held 27.2% of seats in national parliaments, up 4.9 percentage points from 2015. An astonishing 102 countries have NEVER had a WOMAN Head of State or Government. WOMEN'S representation in local governments STAGNATED at 35.5% in 2023 and 2024.

Globally, WOMEN occupy 30% of managerial positions. At the current pace of progress, achieving gender parity in management will take NEARLY A CENTURY.

Only 56.3% of WOMEN aged 15–49 who are married or in a union have FULL DECISIONMAKING POWER over their sexual and reproductive health and rights, based on data from 78 countries.

From 2021–2024, the gender gap in mobile phone ownership NARROWED from 9.4% to 7%.

In 2024, only 26% of 121 countries and territories had comprehensive systems to track resource allocations for gender equality, a share unchanged from 2021.

Achieving sustainable water resources management between 2015 and 2030 requires an estimated annual investment of $1.04 trillion.

Some 14% of countries still have limited or no gender mainstreaming mechanisms in water management.

On the current path, 896 million WOMEN could lack access to clean cooking fuels and technologies (including 523 million in sub-Saharan Africa).

Achieving universal access to clean cooking fuels and technologies by 2030 requires an annual investment of $8 billion; this could generate a 24-fold return.

Globally, 27.6% of WOMEN’S employment is potentially exposed to generative AI, compared to 21.1% of men’s employment.

Globally, 70% of men use the Internet compared to 65% of WOMEN.

Closing the gender digital divide by 2050 would benefit nearly 350 million WOMEN AND GIRLS and pump an additional $1.5trillion into the global economy by 2030.

WOMEN Surveys (DHS). with disabilities still face widespread DISCRIMINATION. Compared to all WOMEN, WOMEN AND GIRLS WITH DISABILITIES are less likely to have their family planning needs met (77.6% and 46%, respectively) or use the Internet (65% and 26%, respectively).

WOMEN facing multiple and intersecting inequalities are most impacted: 33% of WOMEN aged 60 and over, reported an increase in childcare during COVID-19, compared to 62% for their peers with disabilities.

Only 44.2% of the world’s urban population has convenient access to open public spaces.

In 2022, WOMEN held 24% of jobs in the primary fisheries and aquaculture sector, rising to about 62% in the processing subsector.

WOMEN are overrepresented in the blue economy's informal workforce. Only 14% of aquaculture and fisheries production managers are WOMEN.

In 2022, WOMEN held 24% of jobs in the primary fisheries and aquaculture sector, rising to about 62% in the processing subsector.

WOMEN are overrepresented in the blue economy's informal workforce. Only 14% of aquaculture and fisheries production managers are WOMEN.

In 2022, WOMEN held 24% of jobs in the primary fisheries and aquaculture sector, rising to about 62% in the processing subsector.

WOMEN are overrepresented in the blue economy's informal workforce. Only 14% of aquaculture and fisheries production managers are WOMEN.

In 2022, WOMEN held 24% of jobs in the primary fisheries and aquaculture sector, rising to about 62% in the processing subsector.

WOMEN are overrepresented in the blue economy's informal workforce. Only 14% of aquaculture and fisheries production managers are WOMEN.

676 million WOMEN AND GIRLS lived within 50 kilometres of a deadly conflict event in 2024, the highest recorded number since the 1990s.

National action plans on WOMEN, peace and security, vital for effective peacebuilding, were in place in 113 COUNTRIES in 2025, up from 32 in 2011.

Data availability on SDG 5 indicators in 2025 has improved to 57.4% for any point in time, up from 47.0% in 2022.

However, funding cuts threaten the availability of gender data for policymaking, with OVER HALF of national statistics offices reporting reduced funding since January 2025: 60.4% overall and 51.4% for Demographic and Health WOMEN Surveys (DHS).