Gender Development Index in India
India: Gender Development Index was 0.874 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gender Development Index in India, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, gender development index in India stood at 0.874. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender development index in India peaked at 0.874 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.723, in 1993.
That places India 165th out of 183 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Gender Development Index in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.728 | — |
| 1991 | 0.727 | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 0.726 | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 0.723 | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 0.723 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.724 | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 0.732 | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 0.74 | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 0.747 | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 0.755 | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 0.764 | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 0.786 | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 0.787 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.803 | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 0.803 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.799 | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 0.806 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 0.808 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 0.812 | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 0.816 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 0.819 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 0.828 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 0.826 | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 0.838 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 0.838 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.837 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 0.84 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 0.84 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.824 | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 0.836 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.843 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 0.846 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 0.856 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 0.874 | +2.1% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 0.874 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.932, 94% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 0.874 is below the median for South Asia, which is 0.9345, 94% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.7325 | 0.723 | 0.755 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7984 | 0.764 | 0.816 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8326 | 0.819 | 0.84 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8548 | 0.843 | 0.874 | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More gender data for India
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 341,454 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.5667 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 1.18 million (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 1.18 million (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 10.96 million (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 11.71 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 10.92 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 11.70 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 10.89 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender development index in India?
- Gender development index in India was 0.874 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender development index recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 0.874 in 2023.
- What is the lowest gender development index recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.723 in 1993.
- How does India rank for gender development index?
- India ranks 165th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender development index rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Development 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
The Gender Development Index (GDI) measures gender inequalities in the achievement of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living.