The methodology of the Gender Equality Index was updated in 2025. Comparing scores published before 2025 with the new ones is not reliable. Recalculated data for earlier years, where available, is included in the Gender Equality Index 2025 report.
Since 2013, the Gender Equality Index has been recognised by EU institutions and Member States as a key benchmark for gender equality in the EU. The 6th edition of the Index covers a range of indicators in the domains of society and life most afected by the COVID-19 crisis.
Although Index scores are mostly based on 2019 data, and therefore cannot capture the full impact of the crisis on gender equality, the report provides ample evidence of the pandemic’s negative repercussions on women in the domains of work, money, knowledge, time, power and health.
It also addresses the spike in violence against women and how the most disadvantaged and marginalised groups of women and men in society have borne the brunt of the impact.
Health, the thematic focus of this report, explores an additional three dimensions – health status (including mental health), health behaviours and access to health services. It also provides a gender and intersectional analysis of SRH and the COVID-19 pandemic.
