UN Women–UN DESA: The Gender Snapshot 2025 Highlights Stalled SDG Progress on Gender
SDG 5: Gender Equality
Institutions: Ministry of Women & Child Development | NITI Aayog
The UN Women–UN DESA Gender Snapshot 2025 warns that, at the current pace, 351 million women and girls will still live in extreme poverty by 2030, with female poverty rates hovering around 10% since 2020. Women face deeper food insecurity - nearly 64 million more women than men are food insecure - and anaemia among women of reproductive age is projected to rise from 31.1% in 2025 to 33% in 2030. While maternal mortality has declined 39% since 2000, women spend an average of 10.9 years in poor health versus 8 years for men.
Progress on political representation remains uneven: as of January 2025, women held 27.2% of parliamentary seats, yet 102 countries have never had a woman head of state or government. Women’s share of managerial roles is just 30%, with parity nearly a century away at the current pace. Violence persists, with 1 in 8 women aged 15–49 experiencing partner violence in the past year, and nearly 1 in 5 young women married before 18.
For India, the report highlights the South Asia context, where girls still lag behind boys in secondary school completion and anaemia imposes significant economic losses. It notes India-specific data on how rural electricity access reduces gender-based violence and increases contraceptive use, underscoring the intersection of energy, health, and gender.
The findings signal that gender equality is critical to achieving all 17 SDGs. Without accelerated investment in social protection, care infrastructure, health, education, and digital inclusion, gender gaps will persist well beyond 2030. This underlines the importance of strengthening MWCD programmes, integrating gender into NITI Aayog’s SDG monitoring, and expanding gender-responsive budgeting.
Follow the full report here:
https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/progress-on-the-sustainable-development-goals-the-gender-snapshot-2025-en.pdf