This post is part of a series exploring investments in data and statistics and their role within the broader Financing for Development agenda. Explore the full series here.
Data is one of the smartest investments we can make for gender equality—but it’s also one of the first areas on the chopping block. As the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) approaches next week, the question isn’t whether we can fund gender data. It’s whether we can afford not to.
The final outcome document outlines a vision recognizing gender equality, women’s empowerment, and inclusive data systems as the critical heart of sustainable development. However, without robust and sustained investment in gender data, that vision risks falling short.
The Unmet Need for Inclusive Gender Data
Inclusive gender data is foundational for making informed decisions that improve lives. Without accurate and comprehensive data that reflects the experiences of all people — across gender, age, race, disability, location, and other intersecting factors — policymakers are left to design programs and allocate resources without a complete understanding of who is being reached and who is being left behind. Amid ongoing global challenges, persistent gaps in the availability, quality, and use of gender data continue to undermine progress, and recent developments risk expanding these gaps even further.
Funding for social statistics is uniquely vulnerable now, facing cutbacks due to the elimination of survey programs and the high cost of building robust census and administrative systems amidst global economic headwinds. As global financing tightens and donor priorities shift, the systems that capture the experiences of women, girls, and gender-diverse people are being sidelined— when we need them most.
The termination of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program in February 2025 is a stark example. This move threatens essential data on health, sexual and reproductive rights, and gender-based violence in over 90 countries. As Caren Grown, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development and a member of Data2X Advisory Board, writes,
“The DHS are both a national and international public good. The termination of the program affects policy monitoring and evaluation efforts globally. For instance, DHS data are used to calculate 33 of the indicators supporting the Sustainable Development Goals… The joint monitoring program between the DHS and Multi-Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), which has been generating data on the well-being of children and women since the mid-1990s, relied on the DHS for 21% of the 1.2 million indicators in its data warehouse.”
This is not simply a matter of lost data—it is a breakdown of the infrastructure of accountability and inclusion. Without timely, disaggregated, and reliable gender data, women, girls, and gender-diverse people become invisible in national budgets, policy planning, and development financing. The systems that once told us where interventions were working—or where they were failing—are being deprioritized. And without them, we cannot make informed decisions, target investments, and uphold fundamental rights.
Yet, in this moment of breakdown lies an opportunity. The cracks in the system reveal where we’ve been overly reliant on single sources of financing. It’s a chance to rebuild stronger, more sustainable systems that center gender data at the heart of development. If FfD4 delivers on its promise, we can move from crisis to course correction and solution—toward a future where data systems are resilient, inclusive, and aligned with the world we aim to build.
Why FfD4 Matters for Gender Data
FfD4 is a rare and timely opportunity. As governments, global institutions, and donors gather to shape the future of development financing, they also have the chance to reaffirm a simple truth: inclusive, equitable development is impossible without inclusive, equitable data.
Encouragingly, the final version of the FfD4 Outcome Document outlines a clear commitment to gender equality, national ownership, and disaggregated data systems. It recognizes the central role that gender-responsive financing and policy design must play in building more just and resilient societies.
“We reaffirm the imperative of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. We will ensure their full and equal enjoyment of all their human rights and fundamental freedoms. Gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls bring proven economic benefits and have the potential to contribute to financing for development. We commit to mainstream a gender perspective and promote gender-responsive solutions across the financing for development agenda.”
The document goes further, outlining concrete steps to ensure gender is not just a principle but a practice across financing systems:
“We will promote gender responsive budgeting, in line with countries national strategies, priorities and circumstances, and advance discussion on gender responsive taxation. To achieve this, we will develop and enhance methodologies and tools for designing, monitoring and evaluating budgets with a gender perspective by building capacity to identify and address gender biases within tax systems, alongside capacity development.”
Critically, it also reinforces the need for strong, inclusive data systems:
“We will continue to strengthen our efforts to collect, analyse and disseminate relevant and reliable data disaggregated by income, sex, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts including to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.”
These commitments lay the groundwork, but words alone are not enough. For gender equality to be financed, measured, and achieved, gender data must be a key part of the conversation—not just in principle, but in practice.
What’s Working—and What’s at Risk
Promising efforts are already underway to improve the visibility, coordination, and accountability of gender data financing, offering a clear path to turning the aspirations of the FfD4 Outcome Document goals into measurable progress. The Clearinghouse for Financing Development Data is one such initiative. Within it, the Gender Data Channel tracks where gender data funding flows and, just as importantly, where it doesn’t. This level of transparency is essential for identifying gaps, guiding smarter investments, and holding funders and implementers accountable for their commitments.
Complementing this is the growing Commit to Data initiative, which calls on countries, donors, and organizations to make concrete, measurable pledges to support data systems. The goal isn’t always to spend more—but to invest better. Our collective commitment brings together key gender data stakeholders to coordinate efforts, reduce duplication, and align shared priorities.
Our research briefs further illustrate what is possible when financing is aligned and purposeful. They showcase both international and domestic flows into gender data systems and highlight good practices from countries making tangible progress.
This work, along with efforts from others in the data community, is helping to close the persistent gender data financing gap. Data2X and Open Data Watch have been at the forefront of identifying how much funding is needed to build strong gender data systems. Our 2021 State of Gender Data Financing report estimated that $500 million was needed annually to meet global demand. Adjusted for inflation, that number is now closer to $600 million—a reminder that sustained investment is more urgent than ever.
Looking Ahead to FfD4
As FfD4 approaches, one message is clear: financing gender equality requires financing the data systems that make it possible. Gender data is essential to track progress, reveal disparities, and inform effective investments. Without it, we can’t turn ambition into action—or ensure development efforts are truly inclusive. Fortunately, a strong network of partners is already in place, supporting countries, monitoring gender data financing, and developing tools to guide smarter investments. We stand ready to act on the priorities and commitments made at FfD4.