Around the world, about 750 million women and girls were married before the age of 18. About 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM).

In the 30 countries where FGM is practiced, in 2017 more than 1 in 3 girls aged 15 to 19 had undergone these procedures, whereas in 2000 it was nearly every second girl.

In 18 countries, a husband can legally prohibit his wife from working; in 39 countries, boys and girls have unequal inheritance rights; and in 49 countries there are no laws prohibiting domestic violence.

One in five women, including 19 percent of women aged 15 to 49, reported that within a 12-month period they experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner.

Despite women’s active participation in the political life of countries, women today hold only 23.7 percent of seats in national parliaments, which still falls short of the principle of gender parity.

Slightly more than half (52 percent) of women aged 15 to 49, who are married or in a union, make their own decisions regarding consensual sexual relations, contraceptive use, and access to healthcare.

The share of women with land ownership rights amounts to only 13 percent globally.

More than 100 countries track budget allocations for the promotion of gender equality.

In North Africa, women hold fewer than one in every five paid jobs outside agriculture. The share of women in paid employment outside agriculture rose from 35 percent in 1990 to 41 percent in 2015.

In 46 countries, women make up at least 30 percent of members in at least one chamber of parliament.

Nearly two-thirds of developing countries have achieved gender parity in primary education.

In South Asia, the risk of early marriage for girls has fallen by 40 percent since 2000.

Globally, women account for only 23.7 percent of seats in parliaments.