Twenty Years Of Progress On Gender Parity Now Fragile, WEF Report Finds
Sumaira FH
Published September 18, 2026 | 04:00 AM (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 18th Sep, 2026) GENEVA, Switzerland, 18th September, 2026 (WAM) – Twenty years after the World Economic Forum (WEF) first measured the global gender gap, significant strides have been made, yet progress remains fragile.
The Global Gender Gap Report 2026, published today, reveals that women are now achieving notable advancements in senior leadership roles within business and government. However, gains are not uniform across all domains.
This 20th edition of the report analyzes 145 economies across four key dimensions:
- Economic Participation and Opportunity (61.7% closed)
- Educational Attainment
- Health and Survival (98.6% closed, considered nearly parity)
- Political Empowerment (22.1% closed)
Globally, the overall gender gap stands at 69.2% closed, a slight increase of 0.4 percentage points from the previous year. While 97 economies have shown progress since 2006, closing the gap by 5.2 percentage points to 69.4%, economic participation and political empowerment remain the most challenging areas.
At the current pace, achieving full gender parity is projected to take another 120 years.
"Gender parity is not an inevitable outcome," noted Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum. "To accelerate progress, governments and employers need to implement effective policies faster."
Iceland retains its top spot for the 17th consecutive year with a closed gender gap of 93%. Finland (87.2%), Norway (85.7%) and other countries like Namibia (84.5%), United Kingdom (84.2%), New Zealand (82.8%), Sweden (82.3%), Australia (81.9%), and Ireland (81.4%) follow closely.
Australia makes its first top 10 appearance. Since 2006, Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden have consistently ranked in the top ten.
Progress has been uneven, with significant setbacks during the pandemic. However, since 2024, over half of indexed economies have regained momentum. Kenya, Ghana, Guatemala, Angola, and Czechia are among the notable climbers this year, each improving by 30 places or more.