Facts and figures
Facts and figures: Sustainable finance and gender equality: Key signals from the market
Capital is available, market instruments are evolving, and investor interest in gender-responsive finance continues to grow. The challenge has shifted from raising awareness to execution at scale.
Embedding gender into financial systems presents a clear pathway to unlock underutilized markets, improve capital allocation, and drive inclusive, long-term growth. The data that follows offer a snapshot of where the market stands, and where the opportunities lie.
A system under pressure: The scale of the financing gap
- Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires an estimated USD 4 trillion annually, a gap that has widened significantly since COVID-19 (updated 2024).
- In Africa alone, structural financing needs exceed USD 400 billion per year, intensified by debt pressures, climate shocks, and declining external aid (updated May 2025).
- At the same time, vast capital exists without direction: more than USD 271 billion in finance lacks clear gender objectives, signalling a major opportunity for reallocation (updated November 2024).
Capital is moving: Sustainable finance goes mainstream
- Sustainable finance is no longer niche: assets reached approximately USD 1.05 trillion in 2024, and an accumulated amount of USD 5 trillion from 2019, reflecting rapid ESG integration across markets (updated April 2025).
- Debt markets dominate global capital flows, with bonds and loans accounting for the majority of financing activity.
- In 2024, GSSS bond issuance surpassed USD 1 trillion, marking record demand for sustainable investment products (updated 2025).
- Climate finance from multilateral development banks hit USD 137 billion, with additional private capital mobilized at scale (updated 2024).
A market taking shape: The rise of gender finance
- Gender-lens investing is expanding rapidly, with at least USD 122 billion in assets under management globally (updated May 2025).
- Gender bonds have evolved from a niche concept into a structured market:
- 576 bonds issued by 133 issuers (updated September 2025)
- USD 246 billion raised for gender equality (updated September 2025).
- Growth has been exponential, rising from early-stage experimentation to a globally recognized instrument within just over a decade.
- Gender-focused funds have grown by more than 214 per cent since 2015, with more than EUR 63 billion committed and further capital targeted (updated November 2024).
Where the market is moving: Issuers, regions, momentum
- Supranational institutions dominate issuance, accounting for roughly 40 per cent of gender bonds, led by actors such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the International Finance Corporation (updated September 2025).
- Europe leads in volume (USD 126 billion across 140 bonds), with Asia and the Americas following as emerging growth regions (updated September 2025).
- Between 2013 and 2024, more than USD 160 billion was issued specifically for women’s economic empowerment across 55 markets (updated July 2025).
- Landmark moments are shaping credibility:
- Iceland’s sovereign gender bond issuance
- Tanzania’s NMB bond oversubscribed by 197 per cent, signalling strong investor demand (updated March 2023)
The untapped opportunity: Gender in development finance
- Development finance with explicit gender objectives reached USD 108.4 billion globally, indicating growing alignment (updated 2024).
- However, private capital mobilization remains limited:
- USD 4.6 billion from DAC members (updated November 2024)
- USD 3.4 billion from foundations (updated November 2024)
- The gap between available capital and gender integration highlights a critical transition point: from commitment to systemic mainstreaming.
The missing link: Gender in climate finance
- Despite record climate finance flows, only 0.01 per cent supports projects that also advance women’s empowerment (updated March 2024).
- This disconnect underscores a structural issue: climate and gender agendas remain insufficiently integrated, despite clear overlaps in vulnerability and opportunity.
The economic case: Gender as a market driver
- Women already influence global markets at scale:
- Expected to control 75 per cent of discretionary spending by 2028 (updated 2023).
- Demonstrate stronger savings behaviours in many markets
- Closing gender gaps is both social and economic:
- Africa could unlock USD 287 billion in GDP growth by narrowing gender disparities (updated September 2025).
- At the same time, inequality carries real cost:
- Gender-based violence results in economic losses of up to 3–4 per cent of GDP annually (updated December 2025).
Persistent gaps: Inclusion, poverty, participation
- Financial inclusion has improved, with 77 per cent of women globally holding accounts, yet around 700 million women remain unbanked (updated 2025).
- Gender gaps persist across key indicators:
- Progress is measurable but uneven:
- Global gender parity stands at 68.8 per cent, with no economy yet achieving full equality (updated June 2025).
Africa in focus: Constraint and opportunity
- Gender equality across Africa stands at roughly 50 per cent achieved, indicating significant structural gaps (updated November 2024).
- Financial inclusion disparities remain:
- Up to 14 per cent gender gap in account ownership in some regions (updated February 2025).
- Lower access among poorer populations.
- Yet the upside is clear: aligning capital with gender equality could deliver substantial economic and market returns.
