True Gender Parity 123 Years Away, says World Economic Forum

The world will not achieve full gender parity for another 123 years if current rates of progress continue, according to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report.

The 19th edition of the index, which examines gender equality across 148 of the world’s economies, found that the global gender gap now stands at 68.8% in 2025.

This represents an improvement of just 0.4 percentage points from 2024's figure of 68.4%.

Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director of the WEF, says that the report “arrives at a decisive moment, with the world in flux as technological breakthroughs, geopolitical conflict and economic uncertainty are creating unprecedented challenges as well as bringing new opportunities”.

“Amid such change, gender parity is both a principle and a strategy,” she adds.

“Economies that tap into the full spectrum of their talent and human capital are best positioned to navigate an era of transformation and accelerate productivity and prosperity.”

The regional picture of gender parity

Iceland has retained its position at the top of the WEF's rankings for the 16th consecutive year, having closed 92.6% of its gender gap.

It remains the only economy to have closed more than 90% of its gap since 2022.

European economies dominate most of the top ten positions, occupying eight spots with Finland, Norway and Sweden following Iceland in the rankings.

The UK climbed into fourth place with 83.8% of its gender gap closed, while Moldova entered the top ten for the first time in seventh place.

Northern America led the regional rankings with 75.8% of its gender gap closed, though economic parity has improved by just 0.6 percentage points since 2006.

The Middle East and Northern Africa ranked lowest globally with just 61.7% parity, though the region has shown some gradual improvement with its political empowerment score more than tripling since 2006.

The gender parity leadership drought

The WEF’s report shows that female representation in senior leadership positions is still lagging behind their educational achievements.

Globally, women now outperform men at tertiary education levels, but only 29.5% of tertiary-educated senior managers are women.

The share of women in top management rose from 25.7% in 2015 to 28.1% in 2024, but progress has slowed a great deal since 2022.

Women remain concentrated in lower-paying, people-centric industries such as healthcare and education, whilst traditionally male-dominated sectors like infrastructure saw gains of 8.9% in female participation.

“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,” Saadia says.

“Economies that have made decisive progress towards parity are positioning themselves for stronger, more innovative and more resilient economic progress."

Why political representation is stalling

Political empowerment continues to show the widest gender gap, with only 22.9% parity achieved around the world.

Women represent fewer than one-third of parliamentary speakers worldwide and remain significantly underrepresented in cabinets relating to economy, infrastructure and defence.

Latin America and the Caribbean ranked second globally for political empowerment at 35%, with 15 economies having had a female head of state in the past five decades.

Elsewhere, Sub-Saharan Africa improved its political empowerment score to 22.2%, with women now holding 40.2% of ministerial roles and 37.7% of parliamentary seats across the region.

The implementation gap in gender parity

The report identified a near-universal "implementation gap" between gender-equal laws and the infrastructure needed to enforce them.

Even economies with advanced legal frameworks showed wide differences in practical support for gender equality measures.

The report found that adopting high legal standards alone is insufficient to close gender gaps without robust implementation mechanisms.

Women are 55.2% more likely than men to take career breaks, lasting an average of 19.6 months compared to 13.9 months for men, largely due to parenting responsibilities.

The care economy remains underleveraged as an economic solution to both demographic and workforce transitions, the report concluded.

Based on data from 100 economies tracked continuously since 2006, the fastest-moving countries towards parity include Bangladesh, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

“Change is possible and progress is within reach,” says Saadia.

Women in sustainability

At Sustainability LIVE: The Net Zero Summit, Sustainability Magazine will be hosting discussions all about gender parity.

The two-day event is set to take place at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster, London, between the 4-5 March 2026, bringing together sustainability experts from around the globe for a series of enlightening panel discussions, engaging workshops and unparalleled networking opportunities.

As always, diversity, equity and inclusion will be high up on the agenda, especially during the panel on Women in Sustainability. 

This panel will showcase the leadership, innovation and impact of women advancing sustainability across all kinds of industries, and you can expect to hear personal stories, strategic insights and lessons from the field as some of the world's most influential changemakers share how they are shaping inclusive and effective approaches to climate action.

Explore how diverse leadership is driving real progress at Sustainability LIVE: The Net Zero Summit in Spring.

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