Indian women earn more in management positions, but very few make it up the corporate ladder | Today’s news

Under the surface

The share of women in management positions tells the other half of the story. In India only 11.9%. female managers, the third lowest among the 89 countries with data, ahead of only Pakistan (9.6%) and Bangladesh (7.2%). The share has been declining in recent years. In 2018, women held 14.3% of senior and middle management positions in India. It rose to 17.3% in 2020 and declined in subsequent years to 11.9% in 2025. Moreover, the gap with the rest of the world is significant: women hold 44.1% of management positions in the US and 44.7% in Sweden, and five countries, including Panama and Trinidad and Tobago, reach 50% or more.