Developed at EIGE, The Gender Equality Index is a unique measurement tool that synthesises the complexity of gender equality as a multi-dimensional concept into a user-friendly and easily interpretable measure. It is formed by combining gender indicators, according to a conceptual framework, into a single summary measure.
The Index measures gender gaps that are adjusted to levels of achievement, ensuring that gender gaps cannot be regarded positively where they point to an adverse situation for both women and men. It assigns scores for Member States, between 1, total inequality and 100, full equality.
The Gender Equality Index consists of six core domains (work, money, knowledge, time, power and health) and two additional domains (intersecting inequalities and violence). Given the different nature of the latter two domains, only the core domains can be used in the computation of the Gender Equality Index score.
The Index is computed as follows. First, achievement-adjusted gender gaps are computed for all constituent metrics. Next, gaps for closely related metrics are combined to obtain sub-domain scores. The subdomain scores are then combined to obtain domain scores. Finally, the domain scores are combined to obtain the overall Gender Equality Index score.
Note that in the Gender Statistics Database, the indicators used to calculate the Gender Equality Index, domain and sub-domain scores are reported according to the year the Gender Equality Index was published, rather than the year data was available. For example, the 2023 Gender Equality Index was mostly based on data from 2021 as this was often the latest data available at the time the index was calculated. In the Index area of EIGE's database, data for each of the indicators used is always reported under the Index year rather than the actual year that the data refer to.
A table detailing the specific data used to calculate each edition of the Gender Equality Index is available from the link below. It lists each of the indicators used under each domain/sub-domain of the index, the reference year of the data used, and details of any exceptions (e.g. when a different year is used for certain countries or when there is a break in the time-series).
List of indicators used in the Gender Equality Index
Whilst the indicators used to calculate the Index always cover the whole of the relevant population, the combination (or intersection) of gender and other characteristics can confer additional disadvantages and greater gender gaps. For each of the indicators used in the Index for which some additional breakdown is possible, this view presents data on the available intersectionalities such as family type, age group, level of education, country of birth, and disability. The link below provides access to detailed tables of metadata about the indicators and the breakdowns used for each Index edition.
Metadata about the indicators used to measure intersecting inequalities
Available flags:
| b | break in time series | c | confidential |
| d | definition differs, see metadata | e | estimated |
| f | forecast | i | see metadata |
| m | imputed | n | not significant |
| p | provisional | r | revised |
| s | Eurostat estimate | u | low reliability |
| x | dropped due to insufficient sample size | y | unreliable due to small sample size |
| z | not applicable |