Full gender parity still 120 years away, says WEF

Twenty years after the World Economic Forum (WEF) began measuring the global gender gap, the world is closer to parity than ever, but progress remains fragile, with setbacks emerging in political empowerment and leadership, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2026, published on Wednesday. 

The report benchmarks 145 economies across four dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Globally, 69.2% of the gender gap has been closed, up 0.4 percentage points from last year. Among the 97 economies tracked since 2006, the gap has narrowed by 5.2 percentage points to 69.4%, the highest level recorded. 

Economic participation and opportunity, at 61.7%, and political empowerment, at 22.1%, remain the dimensions furthest from parity. At the current pace, full gender parity across all measures is estimated to be 120 years away. 

“Twenty years of data show that gender parity is achievable. Economies at every income level have made progress, so the barrier is not a lack of resources,” said Saadia Zahidi, managing director, World Economic Forum. 

“Parity is a foundation for growth and competitiveness, but it is not inevitable. To accelerate, governments and employers need to learn from the policies that work and apply them faster. A new economy demands a new approach to talent,” she added. 

Iceland retains top position 

Iceland topped the rankings for the 17th consecutive year, with 93% of its gender gap closed. It remains the only economy to have closed more than 90% of its gap. 

Finland, at 87.2%, and Norway, at 85.7%, retained the second and third positions for the third consecutive year. Namibia climbed four places to fourth, with 84.5%, becoming the highest-ranked country in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

The UK, New Zealand, Sweden, Australia, Germany, and Ireland completed the top 10. Australia entered the top 10 for the first time. Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden are the only four economies to have featured in every top 10 since 2006. 

Progress has been uneven. Before the pandemic, 76% of tracked economies recorded gains, followed by widespread setbacks. Since 2024, more than half of indexed economies have regained momentum. 

The biggest climbers in this year’s rankings were Kenya, up 33 places to 65th; Ghana, up 32 places to 56th; Guatemala, up 31 places to 50th; Angola, up 30 places to 87th; and Czechia, up 25 places to 77th. 

Political empowerment shows signs of reversal 

Nearly every economy tracked since 2006 has improved, although gains were faster during the first decade than the second. 

Political empowerment recorded the largest long-term improvement, rising by eight percentage points among economies tracked throughout the period. In 2006, there was one woman minister for every 8.1 men. The ratio has since improved to one woman for every 4.3 men. In national parliaments, it has moved from one woman for every 5.6 men to approximately one for every three men. 

However, political empowerment is also the dimension showing the clearest signs of reversal. Its score is now lower than in 2016 and declined by 0.4 percentage points over the past year. 

The share of economies in the report’s constant sample of 97 countries led by a woman head of state peaked at 27% in 2022, the highest level in half a century, but has since fallen back to 2016 levels. 

Europe leads regional rankings 

Europe reclaimed the top regional position, with 75.7% of its gender gap closed, narrowing it by seven percentage points since 2006. Seven of the global top 10 performers are European. The region leads in political empowerment, at 37%, while its parity score at the head-of-state level has tripled since 2006. 

Northern America ranked second at 75.2%, down 0.6 percentage points from last year. The region lost the top spot as Canada’s score improved while that of the United States declined. It leads globally in economic participation and opportunity, at 77.1%, and educational attainment, at 100%. Its political empowerment score fell 3.3 percentage points, mainly because of lower ministerial representation. 

Latin America and the Caribbean ranked third at 74.5% and led in health and survival, at 97.7%. It has narrowed its gender gap by 8.6 percentage points since 2006, the largest regional improvement, and is on course to close the gap in 60 years at the current pace. 

Eastern Asia and the Pacific ranked fourth at 70.3%, followed by Central Asia at 70%. Sub-Saharan Africa ranked sixth at 68.8%, up 1.6 percentage points from last year. Southern Asia ranked seventh at 64.5% and remained the lowest-scoring region in economic participation and opportunity, at 40.9%. The Middle East and Northern Africa ranked eighth at 62.5%, with political empowerment at 11.5%, the lowest among all regions. 

Leadership and AI gaps persist 

LinkedIn data showed that women’s share of top-level management has stalled below 30% across 62 economies since 2024. In 16 economies with hiring data, women’s share of new hires into top-level management roles fell from 34.8% in 2022 to 32.3% in the first two quarters of 2026. 

Women occupy 19.1% of chief executive officer roles and around a quarter of chief financial officer and chief operating officer positions. They account for approximately two-thirds of chief human resources and chief people officer roles, but less than one in five chief information officers and fewer than one in 10 chief technology officers. 

The gap is also visible in artificial intelligence. Women account for 36.6% of individual contributors in AI firms, compared with 44.8% in comparable non-AI firms. At the top-management level, the figures are 25.3% and 27.7%, respectively. Women make up just 19.3% of AI engineers. 

“Progress towards gender parity in leadership has stalled for a fourth year,” said Sue Duke, managing director for EMEA & LATAM and head of global public policy and economic graph at LinkedIn. “We can change that trajectory by tackling the persistent barriers holding women back as their careers progress—from better investment in skills, hiring based on capability, and normalising non-linear careers.”