SDG 10: Inequalities
65/100
global average 2019 SDG Gender Index score on SDG 10
5
countries worldwide offer constitutional rights to people regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity
82%
of the wealth generated in 2017 went to the richest 1% of the world’s population, while the poorest half saw no increase in their wealth
Why SDG 10 matters for gender equality
Widening income inequality within many countries signals that the world’s wealth is captured increasingly by its richest people. While growing income inequality can destabilize societies and harm entire nations, its most acute impact falls on those who are already disadvantaged, including girls and women.
For them, gender inequalities in health, education, work and access to civic participation intersect with multiple discriminations linked to race, ethnicity, caste, religion, location, sexuality, age, class or disability. Indigenous women around the world, for example, face a disproportionate lack of access to healthcare.
Evidence suggests that gender inequality also fuels overall income inequality: the poorest people overall earn less when women earn less. In 2016, UN Women reported that household inequality between women and men may account for up to 30% of all income inequality.
Greater equality, however, is associated with higher growth, better development outcomes and greater income equality. SDG 10 recognizes the linked objectives of gender and social equity in target 10.1 (accelerated income growth for the poorest 40%); target 10.3 (equal opportunities); and target 10.4 (to support greater equality).
Issues and Indicators
The 2019 SDG Gender Index examines gender focused issues and data under SDG 10 and provides a more complete picture of both the goal itself and its relationship to gender equality. Explore the included issues and indicators below.
| Indicator 10a | Palma inequality ratio (income of the richest 10% of the population divided by the poorest 40%) |
| Rationale | Countries where women lack equal rights and access to services, and where their outcomes are poorer than those of men, also tend to be countries with large gaps between their richest and poorest citizens. |
| Indicator 10a | Palma inequality ratio (income of the richest 10% of the population divided by the poorest 40%) |
| Rationale | Countries where women lack equal rights and access to services, and where their outcomes are poorer than those of men, also tend to be countries with large gaps between their richest and poorest citizens. |
| Indicator 10c | Proportion of ratified human rights instruments regarding migration |
| Rationale | Ratification of human rights instruments on migration is a signal of commitment to increasing equity between developed and developing nations, as well as meeting the needs of disadvantaged and marginalised populations—both key tenets of SDG 10 that has critical implications for gender equality. |