India ranks 108 out of 193 countries, scoring 0.437 on the Gender Inequality Index 2022, as per the United Nations Development Programme. The Gender Inequality Index 2022 was released on March 13, 2024, in the Human Development Report 2023-2024.
Compared to the Gender Inequality Index 2021, where India ranked 122 out of 191 countries with a score of 0.490, this marks a significant improvement of 14 ranks.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development attributed this progress to the government’s focused agenda on women’s empowerment. They highlighted initiatives in girls’ education, skill development, entrepreneurship facilitation, and workplace safety.
The Gender Inequality Index is a composite metric that measures gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment, and the labor market. A lower GII value indicates lower inequality between women and men.
According to the UNDP, the GII reflects gender-based disadvantages in reproductive health, empowerment, and the labor market. It ranges from 0 (indicating gender equality) to 1 (indicating the worst possible outcomes for one gender in all measured dimensions).