No, India Has Not Been Ranked 131st in a 2025 WEF Gender Gap Report — That Report Doesn't Exist Yet
“India ranks 131st out of 148 countries on the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025”
The argument in brief
A claim circulating online states India ranked 131st out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025. The verdict is unverifiable: no 2025 edition of this report has been publicly released. The most recent confirmed report is from 2024, which placed India 129th out of 146 countries.
Data: WEF Global Gender Gap Reports, 2019–2024
Why it spread
Gender equality in India is a genuinely charged topic, and people on all sides of the debate are primed to share data that supports their view. A specific rank from a credible-sounding source like the WEF feels like solid proof, making it easy to forward without pausing to check whether the report it cites actually exists.
A specific-sounding statistic has been circulating online: that India ranked 131st out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025. The claim is unverifiable — because no such report exists yet. The WEF has not publicly released a 2025 edition as of now.
The most recent confirmed report is the 2024 edition, published by the WEF, which ranked India 129th out of 146 countries with a score of 0.641. That is the number anyone citing current WEF data should be using. The figures in the circulating claim — 131st place, 148 countries — do not match any published WEF document.
India's ranking in this report has genuinely shifted a lot over the years: 112th in 2019 and 2020, dropping to 140th in 2021, recovering to 135th in 2022, then 127th in 2023, and 129th in 2024. So movement in the rankings is real and worth tracking. But that history makes it easier for a plausible-sounding future number to slip past people's skepticism unchallenged.
To be fair to those sharing this claim: a 2025 report may eventually be released, since the WEF typically publishes this annually around mid-year. If and when it is, the figures will be verifiable on the WEF's own website. Until then, any specific 2025 ranking is fabricated or premature.
This kind of misinformation spreads because precise numbers feel authoritative. A vague claim like 'India does poorly on gender equality' invites argument. A claim like '131st out of 148' sounds like someone did the research, so people share it without checking. Always ask: where is the original report, and can I read it myself?
Sources
- World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2024
In the 2024 Global Gender Gap Report, India ranked 129th out of 146 countries, with a score of 0.641. This is the most recent confirmed edition as of early 2025.
- World Economic Forum - Global Gender Gap Report Archive
The WEF typically releases the Global Gender Gap Report annually, usually mid-year. A 2025 edition had not been publicly confirmed or released as of the knowledge cutoff, making the specific claim of '131st out of 148 countries' unverifiable.
- WEF Global Gender Gap Report 2023
In the 2023 report, India ranked 127th out of 146 countries. India's ranking has fluctuated in recent years: 135th (2022), 140th (2021), 112th (2020).
- Reuters Fact Check
No Reuters fact-check specifically addressing a 2025 WEF Gender Gap ranking for India was found, consistent with the report not yet being publicly available.
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