Global Gender Gap Index 2026

Context

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the Global Gender Gap Report 2026, placing India 131st among 145 economies with 64.5% gender parity.

About the Global Gender Gap Index

1. Published by: World Economic Forum (WEF) annually since 2006 to track gender parity across countries and tracks changes over time.
2. It measures gender gaps across four dimensions:

1. • Economic Participation and Opportunity
   • Educational Attainment
   • Health and Survival
   • Political Empowerment

Key Findings – 2026

1. Global progress: 69.2% of the global gender gap has been closed, up 0.4 percentage points from the previous year.
2. Iceland (93.0%), Finland (87.2%), Norway (85.7%) and Namibia (84.5%) were the top four performers; Australia entered the top 10 for the first time.
3. Educational Attainment showed the largest improvement, rising from 95.3% to 96.9%.
4. Economic Participation increased from 61.3% to 61.7%, while Health and Survival rose from 96.1% to 96.2%.
5. Political Empowerment declined from 22.5% to 22.1%, remaining the lowest-performing dimension.

India’s Position

1. India ranked 131st out of 145 economies, with 64.5% gender parity.
2. Its overall score has improved by 4.3 percentage points since 2006, mainly due to gains in educational attainment.
3. Economic Participation and Opportunity: 41.2%, up 0.5 percentage points from the previous edition but 3.5 points below its 2013 level.
4. India ranked above 14 economies, while Chad was last, followed by Iran and Pakistan among the bottom three.

Significance

1. Tracks Progress: Measures long-term changes in gender parity across countries.
2. Education Gains: Highlights the role of educational progress in improving India’s overall gender parity.
3. Economic Gap: India’s lower economic participation score shows that educational gains have not fully translated into equal economic opportunities.

4. Policy Focus: Highlights the need for balanced progress across all dimensions of gender equality, including political representation.

FAQs

Q1. What is the Global Gender Gap Index?
Ans: It is an annual index published by the World Economic Forum to measure gender parity and track changes in gender gaps across countries.

Q2. What are the four dimensions of the Global Gender Gap Index?
Ans: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment.

Q3. Which country ranked first in the Global Gender Gap Index 2026?
Ans: Iceland ranked first with 93.0% of its gender gap closed.

Q4. What was India’s rank in the 2026 Index?
Ans: India ranked 131st out of 145 economies.

Q5. Which dimension showed the greatest global improvement in 2026?
Ans: Educational Attainment recorded the largest improvement, increasing from 95.3% to 96.9%.