THE STATE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE 2025

08.10.2025

THE STATE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE 2025

Context

The International Labour Organization (ILO) released its landmark report “The State of Social Justice: A Work in Progress (2025)” ahead of the Second World Summit for Social Development, commemorating three decades since the 1995 Copenhagen Summit. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of how far the world has progressed in ensuring justice, equality, and inclusion since 1995.

The State of Social Justice 2025

The ILO report serves as a global evaluation of social and economic justice achieved over the past thirty years. It highlights the advances made in reducing poverty and improving welfare while pointing out enduring disparities that continue to divide societies.

Key Pillars of Social Justice

The report identifies four foundational pillars essential for achieving true social justice:

1. Human Rights and Capabilities: Guaranteeing basic freedoms, equality, and universal social protection for all individuals.
    
2. Equal Access to Opportunities: Eliminating structural barriers in education, employment, and fair wages to enable inclusive growth.
    
3. Fair Distribution of Benefits: Ensuring equitable sharing of the gains of economic development among all social groups.
    
4. Fair Transitions: Managing environmental, digital, and demographic transformations in a manner that leaves no one behind.
    

Global Progress and Achievements

Over three decades, the world has made notable progress in several areas:

• Extreme poverty declined sharply—from 39% in 1995 to 10% in 2025.
   
• Child labour (ages 5–14) reduced from 250 million to 106 million.
   
• Working poverty dropped from 28% to 7%, showing better employment outcomes.
   
• Social protection coverage now reaches over half of the global population, a significant expansion in social safety nets.
   

These achievements reflect the collective global effort toward creating a fairer, more inclusive world.

Inequalities

Despite progress, deep inequities remain entrenched:

• The top 1% of earners control 20% of global income and 38% of total wealth.
   
• The gender pay gap persists—women earn only 78% of men’s wages; at this rate, closing the gap could take five decades or more.
   
• Geographical inequality endures, with 55% of income disparities linked to one’s country of birth.
   
• Trust in institutions—governments, unions, and corporations—has declined since the 1980s, owing to perceptions of unfairness and unequal rewards.
   

Trends and Progress in India

India’s development mirrors the global themes of the report, combining strong social gains with structural challenges:

• Poverty Reduction: India’s multidimensional poverty rate dropped from 29% (2013–14) to 11% (2022–23).
   
• Education Growth: The secondary school completion rate touched 79% in 2024, while female literacy rose to 77%.
   
• Social Protection: Flagship initiatives like PM-KISAN, Ayushman Bharat, and e-Shram expanded inclusion, covering over 55 crore unorganised workers.
   
• Labour Market: Despite reforms, informality persists—over 80% of India’s workforce still operates outside formal contracts.
   
• Gender Participation: Female labour force participation stands at 37% (PLFS 2024–25)—below the global average, aligning with ILO’s findings on structural inequality.
   

Major Areas of Improvement

The past decade has seen tangible improvements in multiple sectors:

• Human Development: Expansion of literacy, digital access, and healthcare through initiatives like Skill India and PMKVY.
   
• Child Labour Reduction: Strengthened through the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) and education-linked incentives.
   
• Social Security Expansion: Broader reach of pension, maternity, and insurance schemes under the Social Security Code, 2020.
   
• Digital Inclusion: The JAM Trinity (Jan Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile) has reduced leakages, improving equitable resource delivery.
   

Challenges Identified by the ILO

The report also highlights key obstacles to global and national progress:

• Rising Inequality: The wealth gap continues to expand, with limited redistributive mechanisms.
   
• Informal Employment: Over 58% of global workers lack formal protection or labour rights.
   
• Gender and Birth Bias: Around 71% of income outcomes are still determined by birth circumstances.
   
• Eroding Institutional Trust: Perceptions of unfair governance threaten democratic legitimacy.
   
• Transition Challenges: Digital divides, ageing populations, and climate change risks may further intensify inequality.
   

ILO’s Policy Recommendations

To advance toward a fairer and more inclusive world, the ILO proposes a multi-dimensional policy framework:

1. Mainstream Social Justice: Integrate equity considerations into fiscal, trade, climate, and health policies.
    
2. Rebuild Trust in Institutions: Strengthen transparency, accountability, and participatory governance.
    
3. Invest in Human Capital: Broaden access to education, digital skills, and lifelong learning.
    
4. Universal Social Protection: Guarantee minimum income, portable benefits, and fair wages for all workers.
    
5. Ensure Fair Transitions: Support workers during environmental and digital transformations through reskilling and social safety nets.
    
6. Enhance Global Cooperation: Reinforce multilateral systems to address inequality, migration, and global crises collectively.
    

Conclusion

The ILO’s State of Social Justice 2025 presents a dual reality, while humanity has achieved historic progress in education, health, and economic growth, inequality and mistrust persist as major barriers. The future of social development lies in embedding fairness, inclusion, and transparency into every aspect of policy and governance.

For both India and the global community, true social justice will be realized only when growth translates into shared dignity, equal opportunity, and institutional trust, the enduring foundations of a just and humane society.