The 2025 Global Gender Gap Index, released by the World Economic Forum, shows that gender parity worldwide is still a distant fantasy, with 68.8% of the gap closed across 148 economies, an improvement of only 0.3 percentage points from last year.
What Happened: At the current pace, the report says, it will take 123 years to achieve full global gender parity.
Iceland continues to lead with a 92.6% score, holding the top spot for 16 years and remaining the only country above the 90% mark. The top 10 economies, which have achieved 80% parity, are dominated by European nations, including Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Ireland.
The Health and Survival (96.2%) and Educational Attainment (95.1%) gaps are nearly closed. However, Economic Participation (61%) and Political Empowerment (22.9%) still lag far behind.
Political Empowerment has seen the most long-term improvement, increasing by 9 percentage points since 2006, but full parity is still 162 years away. Economic Participation has improved by 5.6 points in the same period, with 135 years to go at the current rate.
Regionally, Northern America leads in 2025 with 75.8% overall parity and ranks first in economic participation. However, its economic gender gap has barely improved since 2006.
Why It Matters: Closing the gender gap is projected to add up to $7 trillion to the global economy, UN Women estimates.
According to an OECD paper on gender equality and economic growth, "closing labour force participation gaps could add 0.10 p.p. of additional economic growth per year, culminating in a 3.9% boost to GDP per capita by 2060."
This WEF report, released every year, measures access and opportunities essential for reaching full economic potential. It offers a benchmark to inform policy decisions and business strategies.
Speaking to the Press Trust of India, Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director, World Economic Forum, said: "At a time of heightened global economic uncertainty and a low growth outlook combined with technological and demographic change, advancing gender parity represents a key force for economic renewal."
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