The latest data on the number of men and women working in hydrography around the world have been released, revealing that some slight progress has been made towards gender equality but challenges remain.

Fifty-one International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) member states contributed to the 2025 Empowering Women in Hydrography (EWH) survey.

It showed that while women make up approximately 22% of staff in national hydrographic offices, this was a decrease of 12% compared to 2022.

However, when it comes to leadership positions, women now hold 21% of the leadership roles, marking a 5% rise.

While the survey highlights the current gender imbalance within hydrography, one positive sign was that the 2025 survey saw a 15.1% increase in the participation rate of IHO member states compared to 2022.

These results follow on from another study, conducted by the IHO Secretariat in early 2025, which revealed that the percentage of women national hydrographers had almost doubled since 2021, rising from 7% to 13%.

Similarly, the proportion of women chairing IHO bodies rose from 13% to 24%, and currently 32% of IHO bodies have a woman as vice-chair.

“Hydrography is a technical field, but in order to carry out this technical work, we need qualified staff,” said Dr Mathias Jonas, Secretary-General of the International Hydrographic Organization.

“The global market is highly competitive, and we should put all the chances on our side to succeed in attracting the right staff whatever their gender and ethnic roots.”