In Brief:
- India ranks 131st globally with an overall gender parity score of 64.5%, remaining below the global average of 69.2%.
- Iceland continues to lead the index globally (93% parity), while Chad, Iran, and Pakistan occupy the bottom slots.
- High parity scores were recorded in Educational Attainment (96.6%) and Health & Survival (95.6%), but Economic Participation (41.2%) and Political Empowerment (24.5%) remain major lag areas.
India retained its 131st position among 145 nations in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Index 2026 released on September 16, closing 64.5% of its overall gender gap. While India registered solid achievements in Educational Attainment (96.6% parity) and Health and Survival (95.6% parity), significant gaps persist in Economic Participation and Opportunity (41.2% parity) and Political Empowerment, where it ranked 67th globally with a 24.5% parity score. Global parity leader Iceland topped the index by closing 93% of its gender gap, whereas Chad, Iran, and Pakistan ranked at the bottom. The WEF noted that while nearly every country has made progress over the past two decades, full global gender parity remains an estimated 120 years away at the current rate of advancement.
