Pakistan Climbs Five Places in Global Gender Gap Report 2026

Pakistan has risen five spots in the World Economic Forum's 2026 Global Gender Gap Report, climbing from 148th place to 143rd among 145 economies assessed. According to Mishal Pakistan, a partner institute of the World Economic Forum, Pakistan showcased its strongest year-on-year improvement in a decade. Its overall gender parity score improved by 2.8 percentage points, rising from 56.7% in 2025 to 59.5% in 2026.

However, Pakistan still ranks among the lowest economies in the index. The 2026 report evaluates gender disparities across four key areas: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. Pakistan improved its position in all four categories, with the most significant gains in Educational Attainment and Political Empowerment, where it advanced 11 places.

The area where Pakistan continues to struggle is Economic Participation and Opportunity, where it scored 36.4% globally, ranking 144th and last in South Asia. Economic gender parity increased by 1.6 percentage points from 2025, though it is still 0.5 percentage points below its 2006 level. Pakistan excelled in Educational Attainment, achieving a record parity score of 91.7% and ranking 130th globally.