Global gender equality will take 120 years, says WEF
The global gender gap has never been narrower – at 69.2 per cent closed – but it would take another 120 years to achieve gender equality at the current rate of progress, the World Economic Forum has said. That means full gender parity will not be reached within the lifetime of women alive today and could remain out of reach until the generation of their grandchildren or great-grandchildren.…
The World Economic Forum's 2026 Global Gender Gap Report has revealed that achieving full gender equality globally will take an additional 120 years, according to current progress rates. Iceland leads the way with the narrowest gender gap, while European nations dominate the top positions in the index. The report assesses progress across four key areas: political empowerment, economic participation, health and survival, and educational attainment.
While 69.2% of the global gender gap has been closed, progress varies significantly across these areas. Education is closest to parity, with the remaining global gap projected to close in just eight years if present trends continue. However, political empowerment remains the most distant from parity, with only 22.1% of the gap closed and full parity estimated to take 194 years. This discrepancy highlights that gains in education have not translated to equal representation in political decision-making.
The Middle East and North Africa region lags significantly behind other regions, with only 62.5% gender parity in 2026. Although the region has made strides in educational attainment and economic participation, political empowerment remains the biggest hurdle, with only 11.5% of the gap closed. Notably, the Middle East has recorded fifth-highest ministerial and seventh-highest parliamentary representation globally, indicating progress in some areas despite its low overall political empowerment score.
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