Gender Inequality Index in India
India: Gender Inequality Index was 0.403 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Gender Inequality Index in India, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gender inequality index in India is 0.403, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is down 5.6% on the previous year and down 26.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender inequality index in India peaked at 0.702 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.403, in 2023.
That places India 69th out of 169 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Gender Inequality Index in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.697 | — |
| 1991 | 0.698 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 0.7 | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 0.702 | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 0.702 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.702 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.697 | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 0.692 | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 0.682 | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 0.676 | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 0.671 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 0.65 | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 0.643 | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 0.637 | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 0.629 | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 0.615 | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 0.601 | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 0.594 | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 0.596 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 0.58 | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 0.566 | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 0.561 | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 0.557 | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 0.55 | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 0.528 | -4.0% |
| 2015 | 0.496 | -6.1% |
| 2016 | 0.484 | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 0.488 | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.487 | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 0.464 | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 0.441 | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 0.438 | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.427 | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 0.403 | -5.6% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 0.403 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.492, 82% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- India's 0.403 is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.385, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.6948 | 0.676 | 0.702 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6216 | 0.58 | 0.671 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5181 | 0.464 | 0.566 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4273 | 0.403 | 0.441 | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More poverty & inequality data for India
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.98 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,632 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 0.8468 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 17.32 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 17.3% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender inequality index in India?
- Gender inequality index in India was 0.403 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender inequality index recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 0.702 in 1993.
- What is the lowest gender inequality index recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.403 in 2023.
- How does India rank for gender inequality index?
- India ranks 69th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender inequality index rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender Inequality Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This index captures gender-based disadvantage in reproductive health, empowerment and the labor market; ranges from 0 (full equality) to 1 (maximum inequality), representing the share of potential human development lost because of gender gaps.