New report reveals the state of the global gender gap

What you probably already know: The pursuit of global gender equity is picking up steam, but full parity is still 123 years away at the current pace, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2025. This year’s report reveals the global gender gap (across 148 economies) has closed to 68.8%, marking a 0.4% improvement over the previous year and the strongest annual advance since the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception in 2006, the Global Gender Gap Index has tracked the state of gender parity across numerous countries by scoring their progress in economic participation and opportunity, education, health, and political empowerment. Nearly 100 economies have narrowed their gaps in these areas, but a handful of countries are nearing the finish line.

Why? Globally, the areas with the largest improvements are also those that still need the most work. Among the top 100 economies examined in every edition of the report, the gender equity gap in political empowerment has narrowed from 14.3% in 2006 to 23.4% in 2025, followed by economic participation and opportunity (55.1% to 60.7%). Zooming out to include all 148 economies considered in the 2025 report, the health and education gender gaps have made significant progress, closing by 96.2% and 95.1%, respectively. Collective progress varies country to country, with 10 economies having closed at least 80% of their overall gender gaps. Iceland leads the pack at 92.6%, followed by Finland at 87.9%, Norway (86.3%) Sweden (81.7%) — all of which have consistently ranked in the report’s top 10 since 2006.

What it means: Investing in gender parity is good for business and women are increasingly outperforming men in education, but this progress isn’t translating to equal pay, leadership structures, or workforces. Women’s participation in the global workforce increased to 41.2% in 2024, according to the report. An increasing number of women are entering male-dominated sectors such as infrastructure, but women are still concentrated in lower-paying, people-centric industries like health care and education. Balancing workforce representation would boost creativity, address skill shortages, and close wage gaps, the report states. Women held over 28% of top management roles in 2024, up from 25.7% in 2015, but progress has decelerated since 2022. Among political leadership, women still represent a significant minority.

What happens next: One of the biggest barriers standing in the way of gender parity progress across all countries is the “implementation gap,” which the World Economic Forum defines as “the disconnect between gender-equal laws and the infrastructure needed to enforce them.” In other words, legal frameworks mean little without practical, comprehensive support. Experts predict new obstacles will arise from technological changes and geoeconomic instabilities that could stall, if not reverse, the economic gains women have made in recent years. The volatile international trade climate has the potential to exacerbate gender disparities. “At a time of heightened global economic uncertainty and a low growth outlook combined with technological and demographic change, advancing gender parity represents a key force for economic renewal," said Saadia Zahidi, managing director of the World Economic Forum. "The evidence is clear. Economies that have made decisive progress towards parity are positioning themselves for stronger, more innovative and more resilient economic progress.”