Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
Gender equality worldwide - statistics & facts
In 2023, Yemen was the least gender equal country, while 16 African sub-Saharan countries were among the top 20 least gender equal nations globally. Even though several milestones have been achieved over the past decades, gender equality remains a global issue, although the most pressing levels of gender equality vary from region to region and country to country.
How can gender equality be measured?
When measuring gender equality, several parameters are taken into consideration. Perhaps the most well-known indicator of gender equality worldwide is the Global Gender Gap Index. Each year, the index benchmarks national gender gaps on economic, political, educational, and health-based criteria based on 14 indicators in these categories. Iceland enjoys the smallest overall gender gap, according to the 2025 index, followed by other Nordic countries like Finland and Norway, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, which are in 4th and 5th position, making up the top 5. Conversely, Chad, Sudan, and Pakistan are where gender parity is challenged most. Another relevant indicator of global gender equality is the Gender Inequality Index. This index measures inequality in achievement between women and men in three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment, and the labor market. In 2023, Denmark and Norway topped the ranking.What impacts gender equality?
Like many societal issues, gender equality is multidimensional and interconnected with other problems like poverty and social inequality. Moreover, conflicts and crises accentuate gender inequality. For instance, because of the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan in 2021, gender equality in the Central Asian country highly regressed as girls are refused education after 7th grade, and the mandatory use of the burka for women when being outside the house was reintroduced. Another example is the COVID-19 pandemic, whose economic effects were more heavily felt by women than men as the gender poverty gap increased in 2020 and 2021. The pandemic also created further complications for gender equality when schools and other care facilities had to close, as the care responsibilities often fell onto women rather than men. Furthermore, domestic violence reporting skyrocketed during the lockdown period all across the world.When will gender equality be achieved?
In a macro-regional perspective, Central Asia, as well as the Middle East and North Africa, has the longest way to go before closing the gender gap. Latin America and Europe, on the other hand, have made the most progress towards gender parity. However, it is estimated that gender parity will not be achieved in these regions for another 57 and 76 years, respectively.
