More than 351 million women and girls could still be living in extreme poverty by the end of the decade if current trends persist.
The world is retreating from gender equality, and the cost is being counted in lives, rights, and opportunities. Five years from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline in 2030, none of the gender equality targets are on track.
That's according to this year's SDG Gender Snapshot report launched on Monday by UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which draws on more than 100 data sources to track progress across all 17 Goals.
World at a crossroads
2025 marks three major milestones for women and girls: the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action , the 25th anniversary of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security , and the 80th anniversary of the United Nations , but with the new sobering data, it is urgent to accelerate action and investment.
Other findings in the report reveal that female poverty has barely shifted in half a decade, stuck at around 10 per cent since 2020. Most of those affected live in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia.
Conflict magnifying the crisis
In 2024 alone, 676 million women and girls lived within reach of deadly conflict, the highest number since the 1990s.
For those caught in war zones, the consequences extend far beyond displacement. Food insecurity, health risks, and violence rise sharply, the report notes.
Violence against women and girls remains one of the most pervasive threats. More than one in eight women worldwide experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a partner in the past year, while nearly one in five young women was married before the age of 18. Each year, an estimated four million girls undergo female genital mutilation, with over half cut before their fifth birthday.
Prioritizing gender equality
Yet, amid the grim statistics, the report highlights what is possible when countries prioritize gender equality. Maternal mortality has dropped nearly 40 per cent since 2000, and girls are now more likely than ever to finish school.
Speaking to UN News, Sarah Hendriks, Director of the Policy Division at UN Women, said that when she first moved to Zimbabwe in 1997, "giving birth was actually a matter of life and death".
"Today, that's no longer the reality. And that's an incredible level of progress in a short 25, 30 years", she added.
