For the first time, the Gender Equality Index of Ukraine in accordance with EU standards was presented in Kyiv

On March 4, 2025, a full assessment of gender equality according to European standards was presented in Kyiv for the first time. The final scores of the Gender Equality Index (GEI) were presented with the participation of Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration – Minister of Justice of Ukraine; Katarina Mathernova, EU Ambassador to Ukraine, along with others.

During the event, a comprehensive analysis was presented in six key areas: work, money, knowledge, time, impact, and health. According to the results, our country ranks 20th among the 27 EU countries + Ukraine in terms of the overall GDI score, demonstrating the closest to the European average in such areas as Health, Money and Time.

“EU states are constantly assessed in the areas of compliance with fundamental principles, rule of law, and human rights, just as it is happening now with Ukraine in the framework of the negotiation process. Accordingly, in the future, this process will become permanent for us as a full member of the European Union. Even at the beginning of the preparation for the negotiation process, together with the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, we took the initiative to assess the implementation of gender equality in Ukraine using the methodology of EU member states without waiting for full accession to the EU. It is important that the Index clearly demonstrates equality at the level of implementation of state policies, provides a full range of understanding of the issues and challenges, as well as the strengths that Ukraine has in key areas of life,” said Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna.

Ukraine’s score in the Time domain is high, where it exceeds the EU average due to the active involvement of women and men in fundraising and volunteering. At the same time, there is still an imbalance in the Impact domain, with women underrepresented in leadership positions.

Progress in the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, which strengthens the fight against gender-based violence, was also noted as a positive development. Ukraine’s ratification of the Convention in 2022 was an important step in strengthening the protection of victims and expanding mechanisms to combat violence.

“While it’s easy to speak about the importance of gender equality and EU accession, it’s vital to remember the real lives behind the statistics—women who have lost so much during the war. Ukraine’s progress in gender legislation, from the Istanbul Convention ratification to forward-thinking legislation on its practical implementation, sets a strong example within Europe. But with the war’s ongoing toll, the most vulnerable—especially women—face even greater challenges. The first-ever Ukraine Gender Equality Index will play a critical role in shaping evidence-based, data-driven policies that address these needs. Very soon, on March 27th an event in Kyiv will provide a platform for sincere exchanges between women leaders and those who need our support most, demonstrating that real progress requires both policy and heartfelt action,” said EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova.

The participants of the event (deputy ministers, MPs, representatives of state authorities and international organizations) discussed how the Index can contribute to Ukraine’s reforms and integration into the EU, as well as its role in post-war recovery.

It is worth noting that the calculation of the HDI for Ukraine took 1.5 years. The next step will be to strengthen the capacity of government agencies to apply the European methodology of data collection and analysis, as well as to institutionalize the Ukrainian Index and calculate it on a regular basis. This will allow for more effective assessment of progress in the field of equality and the development of new democratic policies based on this data.

“We are very proud that Ukraine became the first country to calculate the Index during the active phase of the war. Although not all indicators could be calculated due to the challenges associated with the war, our experts from the Institute of Demography developed a methodology that allowed us to fill in the gaps in the missing data. The European Institute for Gender Equality confirmed the correctness of our calculations and compliance with the standards, so we hope to continue using this tool in the future and approve it at the state level,” said Olesia Bondar, Director of the Ukrainian Women’s Fund.

The discussion of the Index was also attended by: Deputy Head of the State Statistics Service, Iryna Zhuk; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mariana Betsa; Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Iryna Postolovska; Member of Parliament, Maryna Bardina; Head of the Cooperation Section of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine, Markus Kohl and others.

The Index is available in Ukrainian here. In English – here.

The preparation of the Index was made possible thanks to the support of the EU and the efforts of the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine with the assistance of the Office of the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine and the Office of the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy. The event was organized by the European Union within the framework of the project “Gender Think Tank Network: Strengthening Capacity for Advanced Policy Development, Impact Evaluation, Strategic Advocacy and Focused Policy Communications” implemented by the Ukrainian Women’s Fund.

For more information

The Gender Equality Index is a tool that measures the state of equality between women and men in key areas of life. It was developed by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) and has been used in EU countries since 2013 to assess progress in gender balance and improve public policies, and is an important element of European integration strategies.