The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report for 2025 reveals that the global gender gap has slightly narrowed, from 68.4% in 2024 to 68.8% in 2025 across 148 surveyed economies. Despite this progress, the overall pace remains slower than what was observed before the pandemic.
The report highlights that the most significant improvements have occurred in Political Empowerment, which increased by 0.7 percentage points, reaching 23.2%, and Economic Participation and Opportunity, which rose by 0.4 percentage points, now standing at 60.7%. Although these developments show progress, the report notes that high-income countries have collectively closed 74.3% of their gender gap, slightly outperforming lower-income nations. However, some of the best performers in lower-income categories have made more significant strides in narrowing gender disparities than many high-income economies.
At the top of the list, Iceland remains the world leader in gender equality for the 16th consecutive year, closing 92.6% of its gender gap. It is the only country to have surpassed 90% parity. Other European nations dominate the top rankings, with Finland, Norway, and Sweden maintaining their positions in the top ten since 2006.
The Global Gender Gap Index 2025 ranks the countries with the smallest gender gaps as follows: Iceland (0.926), Finland (0.879), Norway (0.863), the United Kingdom (0.838), New Zealand (0.827), Sweden (0.817), Moldova (0.813), Namibia (0.811), Germany (0.803), and Ireland (0.801).
On the other end of the spectrum, the countries with the most significant gender gaps include Pakistan, Sudan, Chad, and Iran, which continue to exhibit the widest disparities. These countries scored the lowest in the index, with Pakistan ranking last at 148th, followed by Sudan, Chad, and Iran.
India ranks 131st in the Global Gender Gap Index 2025, with a score of 64.4%, marking a decline of three positions from the previous year. While the country lags behind its neighbors, such as Bhutan (119th), Nepal (125th), and Sri Lanka (130th), it has made some improvements, particularly in economic participation and opportunity. The report notes a rise in India’s score for economic participation, from 28.6% to 29.9%, alongside a steady labor-force participation rate of 45.9%.
India’s performance in educational attainment is notable, scoring 97.1%, which reflects improvements in female literacy and higher education enrollment. Health and survival indicators also showed progress, thanks to a better sex ratio at birth and increased healthy life expectancy. However, political empowerment in India saw a decline, with female representation in parliament falling from 14.7% to 13.8%.
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