Targeted investments in gender equality aimed at closing the gender digital divide could unlock $1.5 trillion in global GDP and lift 30 million women and girls out of poverty by 2050, according to a new UN report.
The newly released Gender Snapshot 2025, published jointly by UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), warns the world is falling short of its gender equality promises, but also lays out a roadmap to turn the tide. Drawing on more than 100 data sources across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the report offers a sobering assessment. Not a single target under SDG 5 (Gender Equality) is on track for achievement by the 2030 deadline.
Despite major gains in girls’ education and maternal health – maternal mortality has dropped nearly 40% since 2000. Progress has stagnated, and in some areas, it has reversed. “Where gender equality has been prioritised, it has propelled societies and economies forward,” said Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women. “Just closing the gender digital divide could benefit 343 million women and girls, and deliver enormous economic returns for everyone.”
The digital divide refers to the gap in access to digital technologies and skills, disproportionately affecting women and girls, particularly in the Global South. With growing digital economies and AI-driven labour markets, the report argues that this inequality now risks deepening existing gender and economic divides.
GLOBAL BACKLASH AGAINST WOMEN’S RIGHTS
Yet even as the evidence for progress mounts, so does the resistance. The report warns of a growing global backlash against women’s rights, shrinking civic space for women-led organisations, and a wave of defunding of gender equality initiatives.
If current trends continue, 351 million women and girls will remain trapped in extreme poverty by the end of the decade. The climate crisis and armed conflicts are also taking a disproportionate toll: 676 million women and girls now live in or near conflict zones – the highest number since the 1990s. Food insecurity is worsening too, with 64 million more adult women than men experiencing moderate or severe hunger in 2024.
“Conflict today is deadlier for women and girls,” the report notes, calling for urgent action across multiple fronts – from peacebuilding and climate policy to food systems and education.
ACCELERATED INVESTMENT IN WOMEN URGENTLY NEEDED
With just five years left to deliver on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the stakes are clear. UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, warns that the cost of inaction far outweighs the price of intervention. “Accelerated investment in care systems, education, the green economy, and labour protections could reduce extreme poverty among women and girls by 110 million by 2050,” Li said. “And it could unlock up to $342 trillion in cumulative economic returns.”
This year’s report is also being released ahead of UNGA80 and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a pivotal moment in the global women’s rights movement. A new Beijing+30 Action Agenda has been unveiled, identifying six priority areas. They include freedom from poverty, protection from violence, equal leadership, climate justice, peace and security, and digital inclusion.
INVESTMENT IN GENDER EQUALITY
Across all six areas, the report urges governments, institutions and donors to move beyond rhetoric. Investment in gender equality, it argues, is not only morally imperative – it’s economically sound. “I encourage all leaders to choose a world where women’s rights are delivered at scale, and the returns are shared by all,” Bahous said, calling for bold commitments and systemic investment.
With the world now at a crossroads, the report makes one thing clear. Reversing the retreat on gender equality is possible, but only with political will, financial backing, and the full participation of women and girls in shaping their futures. Key Statistics from Gender Snapshot 2025 reveals that:
- 343 million women and girls could benefit from closing the digital divide
- $1.5 trillion in global GDP gains by 2030
- 30 million women lifted from poverty by 2050
- 351 million women and girls projected to live in extreme poverty by 2030
- 676 million now living in proximity to deadly conflict
- 64 million more women than men faced food insecurity in 2024
- 110 million fewer in poverty with accelerated investments by 2050
- $342 trillion in estimated long-term returns from gender-equal policies
GENDER SNAPSHOT REPORT
Published annually, the Gender Snapshot focuses on gender equality in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. It serves as a tool for policymakers, civil society, and donors tracking the world’s progress towards gender equality.
Download the full report here.
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