Global gender gap closes, but full parity is still more than a century away

Women across the world are still an astonishing 123 years away from closing the global gender gap and achieving full parity. The gap has closed to 68.8% because of economic and political advances, but the World Economic Forum notes that while women outpace men in higher education, fewer than 30% reach senior leadership positions. The global gender gap measures economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment — the latter is identified as the biggest barrier to parity. The 2025 report shows that no economy has yet achieved full gender parity, though Iceland, at 92.6%, has held the top position for 16 years.