Women are disproportionally waking up tired and fatigued 161 days a year – the equivalent of 22 days more than men annually. This disparity is one of many sleep inequalities highlighted in the new global IKEA Sleep Report 2025, which highlights a gap in sleep quality and duration metrics, with women on average sleeping less than men and experiencing poorer sleep quality.
“Gender equality, which recent reports tell us is still centuries away, leads to economic insecurity, political underrepresentation, restricted education, and higher stress levels for women – so it’s no surprise that women are experiencing worse quantity and quality of sleep,” says Ulrika Biesèrt, Chief People & Culture Officer at Ingka Group.
“Women are waking up tired more often, wake up more frequently in the night and have a higher sleep debt – the gap between how much they would like to sleep and how much sleep they actually get. This is an important signal of the work that’s left to be done to remove societal barriers so that everyone can bring and contribute their best no matter their gender”, adds Ulrika Biesèrt.
Other key insights from the report, IKEA’s largest-ever global sleep study involving more than 55,000 people across 57 markets, include:
- Sleep Index: Women score 60, while men score 65.
- Sleep Quality: 31% of women rate their sleep quality as poor, compared to 25% of men.
- Wake-Up State: 44% of women often wake up feeling tired, versus 33% of men.
- Sleep Flow: 23% of women wake up more than twice per night, compared to 16% of men.
- Drift-Off Time: 33% of women take over 30 minutes to fall asleep, while only 24% of men do.
The report highlights the three major barriers to a good night’s sleep for women, which to respondents include stress, anxiety, and overthinking.
Promoting gender equality at home and work
IKEA has long held that gender equality starts at home and over the years it has advocated for gender equality initiatives. Despite seeing positive societal advances, the progress on gender equality is stalling – IKEA believes more needs to be done in the workplace and communities.
Women globally still take on the majority of household work, performing up to three times more unpaid care and domestic tasks than men (UN Women 2023). This imbalance affects women’s participation in the workforce and overall health. More than 50% of official health conditions disproportionately affect women. Women are also diagnosed later than men, face higher health costs, and have less or delayed access to care and treatment. Inequality in data and science further hinders knowledge of women’s health needs.
Ulrika Biesèrt, Chief People & Culture Officer at Ingka Group
“We are driving engagement and change across our markets to address the underlying issues. We have integrated gender quality throughout our work processes at Ingka Group, from recruitment to succession. Across our business we have 50-50 gender balance, which is the result of years of commitment to gender equality. Financial stress can be a big factor when it comes to worse sleep for women. In all our markets, we are investing to equal out the gender pay gap. We know there is still much work to be done – both for women’s sleep and gender equality across the board. At IKEA, we will continue focusing on securing gender equality at work, as well as championing equality at home”
IKEA’s Commitment to Gender Equality
IKEA is dedicated to driving awareness of the importance of gender equality and co-worker wellbeing. Since 2002, gender equality has been a business priority for IKEA, integrated into all work processes, from recruitment to promotion and succession. IKEA gender balance in leadership roles across its markets and is committed to creating a psychologically safe and inclusive working environment. Recognising the unique needs of all genders throughout various life stages, Ingka has recently implemented guidelines for supporting co-workers experiencing menopause. Initiatives like this aim to ensure that all co-workers feel supported and valued.
About Ingka Group
With IKEA retail operations on 31 markets, Ingka Group is the largest IKEA retailer and represents about 90% of IKEA retail sales. It is a strategic partner to develop and innovate the IKEA business and help define common IKEA strategies. Ingka Group owns and operates IKEA sales channels under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V. It has three business areas: IKEA Retail, Ingka Investments, and Ingka Centres. Read more on www.Ingka.com.
Media enquiries
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