Pakistan jumps five notches in global gender gap index

• Pakistan remains among lowest-ranked economies.
• Country has narrowed gender gap by 5.2% since 2006.
• Improvement noted in four sectors, including politics.
  

Pakistan narrowed the gender gap and climbed five places in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2026 from 148th to 143rd out of 145 economies, suggesting that significant gender inequalities persist despite improvement, The News reported.

According to an announcement by Mishal Pakistan, a partner institute of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Pakistan recorded its greatest year-on-year improvement in a decade. Its overall gender parity score increased by 2.8%, from 56.7% in 2025 to 59.5% in 2026. Although Pakistan remains among the lowest-ranked economies in the Index, it has narrowed its gender gap by 5.2% since 2006, when its score stood at 54.3%.

The 2026 report measures gender disparities across four pillars: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. Pakistan improved its ranking across all four, with the most substantial gains recorded in Educational Attainment and Political Empowerment, where it advanced 11 positions. Economic Participation and Opportunity remains Pakistan’s weakest-performing pillar and the principal constraint on overall gender parity. Pakistan scored 36.4%, ranking 144th globally and last in South Asia.

Economic gender parity improved by 1.6% compared with 2025, although the score remains 0.5% below its 2006 level. Pakistan performed considerably better in Educational Attainment, reaching a record parity score of 91.7% and ranking 130th globally.