According to the 2025 Gender Equality Index by EIGE, women in the EU have to work 15 and a half months to earn what men make in 12, as women earn only 77% of men’s annual income.
Despite progress across Europe, full gender equality remains at least 50 years away. The annual report, which tracks Europe’s progress toward full equality, gives the EU an overall score of 63.4 out of 100.
Although this represents an increase of 10.5 points since 2010, at the current and renewed pace, full gender equality is still half a century away.
Cyprus scores the lowest (47.6), while Sweden scores the highest (73.7), with Greece among the countries making the least progress (57).
The index tracks progress across six areas:
Work: The index shows that women’s employment is increasing, but few occupy managerial positions, ICT sector roles, or higher-paying jobs.
Money: Women earn 77% of men’s annual wages (up from 69% in 2015).
Knowledge: Young women outperform men in higher education but are steered toward “care professions” such as education, health, or social work, which are generally undervalued.
Time: Women continue to bear the bulk of unpaid care and household work, limiting their participation in leisure and public life.
Power: This measures gender equality in decision-making in politics, the economy, and society, and has been the main driver of progress in the Index since 2020. Despite gains, it remains the lowest-scoring area (40.5) due to persistent inequalities.
Health: Although this is the highest-scoring area (86.2), progress has stalled and inequalities remain regarding health behaviors and the number of years of healthy life.
