The Gender Snapshot 2026

At the current pace, 1.1 BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS could still be food insecure by 2030.

Closing gender gaps in agricultural productivity could lift 45 MILLION PEOPLE out of food insecurity.

WOMEN held just 26.3% of health minister positions in 2026, virtually unchanged since 2015, while WOMEN’S HEALTH receives only around 6% of private healthcare investment globally.

273 million children, adolescents and youth were out of school in 2024, with RURAL GIRLS and those from the poorest households at highest risk 

Higher shares of WOMEN in parliament track greater education spending, improved primary completion rates and progress towards gender parity in school enrolment

NOT ONE SDG 5 TARGET IS ON TRACK to be met by 2030. At the current rate of progress, it will take 171 YEARS TO ACHIEVE SDG 5.

Between 2019 and 2025, 99 LEGAL REFORMS helped remove discriminatory laws and strengthen legal frameworks for gender equality. Yet 51% of 131 countries still have significant legal gaps, and NO COUNTRY has achieved full legal equality. 

Nearly 1 IN 3 WOMEN globally have experienced partner or sexual violence in their lifetime. In the past 12 months alone, 316 MILLION WOMEN experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner.

Technology-facilitated violence against WOMEN AND GIRLS was not addressed by a single leader during the UN General Assembly sessions in 2024 and 2025.

Nearly 1 IN 5 GIRLS is married before age 18, and an estimated 230 MILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS worldwide are survivors of female genital mutilation. 

WOMEN AND GIRLS spend 2.5 TIMES MORE HOURS than men on unpaid domestic and care work, a gender gap that remains deeply entrenched.

WOMEN held 27.4% of seats in national parliaments in 2026, up from 22.3% in 2015. Yet WOMEN’s representation in local governments has STAGNATED at 35.6% in 2025.

Only 56.3% of WOMEN aged 15-49 who are married or in a union have FULL DECISION-MAKING POWER over their sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

Nearly two-thirds of countries provide NO OR LOW LEGAL PROTECTION for women’s land rights, while fewer than 30% ensure joint land registration or women’s participation in land governance.

In 2025, 78% of WOMEN owned a mobile phone, compared with 87% of men - leaving millions of WOMEN without a basic gateway to information, services, finance and economic opportunity.

Only 1 IN 4 COUNTRIES has the systems needed to make gender equality a transparent and trackable public spending priority.

WOMEN AND GIRLS are the primary water collectors in 70% of households without water on premises. 

In 2025, only 49% of health-care facilities had improved toilets with menstrual hygiene facilities.

In 2024, global electricity access stagnated at 92%, leaving 326 MILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS still without electricity.

In 2026, just 63.9% of WOMEN aged 25-54 participated in the labour force, compared with 92.0% of men.

FEMALE MANAGERS earned less per hour than male managers in 80% of countries with data between 2020 and 2025.

In 2023, WOMEN accounted for just 31.4% of researchers globally.

WOMEN account for only around 22% of AI professionals globally and hold fewer than 14% of senior AI leadership positions.

Only 23% of WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES are employed, compared with 46% of women without disabilities and 34% of men with disabilities.

The share of urban residents with access to open public spaces fell from 48.0% to 45.9% between 2020 and 2025, limiting the spaces in which WOMEN can move, work, and participate freely in city life.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the European Union, WOMEN’S representation in mayoral seats is only around HALF of their representation in local deliberative bodies.

Some 2.9 BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS live in countries highly or very highly exposed to climate change and geophysical hazards. 

WOMEN account for only 27% of national cabinet ministers with environmental portfolios.

Some 2.9 BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS live in countries highly or very highly exposed to climate change and geophysical hazards. 

WOMEN account for only 27% of national cabinet ministers with environmental portfolios.

Some 2.9 BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS live in countries highly or very highly exposed to climate change and geophysical hazards. 

WOMEN account for only 27% of national cabinet ministers with environmental portfolios.

Some 2.9 BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS live in countries highly or very highly exposed to climate change and geophysical hazards. 

WOMEN account for only 27% of national cabinet ministers with environmental portfolios.

Nearly 8 IN 10 PEACE PROCESSES worldwide did not include WOMEN as negotiators or mediators at all.

Over twice as many cases of conflict-related sexual violence were verified in 2025 compared to 2024.

Funding for gender equality is shrinking: bilateral allocable aid with gender equality objectives fell by 13% between 2023 and 2024.

Funding to WOMEN’S RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS fell by 28% over the same period.