20th Global Gender Gap Report

Global Gender Gap Report 2026 Release & Edition?

Released by World Economic Forum, 20th Edition

India’s rank +Total Countries?

India retained 131st position among 145 countries

Indias gender parity score?

Overall Gender Parity score of 64.5%

Global Gender Gap Report Background

Introduced in 2006 by World Economic Forum, Annual Flagship Publication of WEF

WEF

Switzerland-based Global Think Tank and Advocacy Group

WEF Founder

Klaus Schwab in 1971

Global Gender Gap Index Measurement

Tracks extent to which countries have closed gender disparities rather than simply measuring women's absolute outcomes

Four Dimensions of Global Gender Gap Index

• Economic Participation and Opportunity

• Educational Attainment

• Health and Survival

• Political Empowerment

Global Gender Gap Index Scoring System

Scored from 0 to 1 (1 = Complete Gender Equality, 0 = Absolute Inequality) or expressed on a 0–100 scale (100 = Complete Parity)

Global Gender Gap Index 2026 Rank 1:

• Closed ~93% of its gender gap

• Change vs 2025: +0.005

Which country retained its rank for the 17th consecutive year?

Iceland

Global Gender Gap Index 2026 Rank 2: Finland

Gender gap closed: 87.2%

Global Gender Gap Index 2026 Rank 3: Norway

Gender gap closed: 85.7%

Global Gender Gap Index 2026 Rank 4: Namibia

Gender gap closed: 84.5%

Global Gender Gap Index 2026 Rank 5: United Kingdom

Gender gap closed:84.2%

Top Performer Milestone: Australia

Australia entered Global Top 10 for 1st Time

Lowest Ranked Countries in Global Gender Gap Report 2026

Chad ranked 145th (lowest among 145 countries covered); Pakistan and Iran were also among 3 lowest-ranked countries

Pace of Global Progress in 2026

World has closed 69.2% of overall gender gap; improved by only 0.4% points over previous year; at present rate, complete global parity could take approx 120 years

Women in Leadership (Global)

Women account for 19.1% of CEO positions globally; proportion of economies headed by women declined to levels comparable with 2016; only ~1 in 10 ministerial positions held by women is classified as highly influential

Gender Gap in Career Progression (Global)

Women are almost twice as likely as men to take career breaks, with parenting responsibilities being a major factor

Political Representation Trend (Global)

Women's representation in legislatures has increased progressively since 1970s

Emerging Technology and AI Gender Gap (Global)

Women remain significantly underrepresented in emerging technology sectors, accounting for fewer than 1 in 5 AI engineers globally

India's Overall Performance in 2026

Recorded 64.5% gender parity (vs global average 69.2%); score improved by 4.3% points since inaugural 2006 edition; progress in Education and Health, but gaps remain in Economic Participation, Political Representation, Leadership, and AI

Gender Parity in South Asia (Ranks & % Gender Gap Closed)

79th Bangladesh (71.2%), 119th Maldives (66.9%), 120th Nepal (66.9%), 121st Bhutan (66.3%), 129th Sri Lanka (64.6%), 131st India (64.5%), 143rd Pakistan (59.5%)

India's Political Empowerment Performance

Score: 24.5% (Ranked 67th); Women constitute only 5.9% of Ministers (peak was 30% in 2019); 74 women (13.6%) in 18th Lok Sabha in 2024 (down from 14.4% in 2019)

India's Economic Participation & Opportunity Performance

Recorded only 41.2% gender equality (Rank 143rd, score 0.412); Professional/Technical workers share grew to 49.9% (doubled since 2006); Senior Leadership & Managerial positions held by women is only 13.1%

India's Educational Attainment Performance

Achieved 96.6% gender parity (Rank 112th, score 0.966); near-complete parity between boys and girls in secondary and tertiary enrolment

India's Health and Survival Performance

Recorded 95.6% gender parity (Rank 136th, score 0.956); Sex Ratio at Birth in 2026 remains nearly 1% point below its 2006 level

India Subindex Comparisons (2026 vs 2025)

Economy: 0.412 (143rd in 2026) vs 0.407 (144th in 2025) | Education: 0.966 (112th in 2026) vs 0.971 (110th in 2025) | Health: 0.956 (136th in 2026) vs 0.954 (143rd in 2025) | Politics: 0.245 (67th in 2026) vs 0.245 (69th in 2025)

India Barrier: Labour Market Challenges

Most women still in informal, low-paid roles despite rising participation; workplace safety concerns & inadequate childcare are major hurdles

India Barrier: Education Gaps

Female literacy at 65% vs male literacy at 82%; 40% of girls aged 15–18 not in school (dropouts due to lack of hygiene infrastructure & societal stigma)

India Barrier: Unpaid Domestic Work

Women spend nearly 5 hours daily on unpaid household chores (3x more than men); estimated economic value is ₹22.7 Lakh Crore or 7.5% of GDP

India Barrier: Underrepresentation in Leadership

Only 17% of CEOs and 20% of Board Members in Indian corporates are women

India Barrier: Scheme Implementation Gaps

Setbacks due to poor outreach, lack of awareness, and weak execution, especially in remote and rural areas

India Efforts: Legislative & Policy Moves

Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (106th CAA 2023) mandates 33% representation for women in legislatures

India Efforts: Education & Skill Schemes

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao & Vigyan Jyoti uplift girls' education, particularly in STEM

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme (2015)

Centre's Flagship Scheme targeting falling child sex ratio, championing girl child's survival, safety & schooling

Vigyan Jyoti Scheme

DST's Flagship Scheme empowering meritorious schoolgirls to shine in STEM fields

India Workforce & Entrepreneurship Growth

Female Labour Participation grew from 23.3% (2017–18) to 41.7% (2023–24)

India Financial Inclusion Progress

Over 28 Crore women have Jan Dhan Bank Accounts; Pradhan Mantri Jan – Dhan Yojana supports women's autonomy through financial access

India Health & Welfare Progress

Maternal Health Programs (PM Matru Vandana Yojana & National Health Mission) cut Maternal Mortality Rate from 174 to 97

PM Matru Vandana Yojana (2017)

Offers maternity benefits to support pregnant and lactating women across India

National Health Mission (2013)

Delivers affordable, quality healthcare to India's most vulnerable