Pakistan ranked among bottom three in WEF's Global Gender Gap Report 2026

Pakistan found itself in the bottom three of the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2026, ranking third-to-last with just 59.5 per cent gender parity. This marked a 3 per cent increase from the previous year, placing the nation at the bottom of the 38 lower-middle-income economies and South Asian countries evaluated.

The report examined four key dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. In economic participation and opportunity, Pakistan was ranked 144th, an improvement of three places from its position in 2025, with only 28.21 per cent of women participating in the labour force compared to 81.46 per cent of men. The country also performed poorly in wage equality for similar work and estimated earned income, ranking 140th and 144th, respectively.

Educational attainment saw Pakistan rise to 130th globally, with male literacy at 69.14 per cent and female literacy at 48.52 per cent. Boys had higher enrolment rates in primary and secondary education, while tertiary education parity was high, with 10.71 per cent of women and 11.01 per cent of men enrolled.

Health and survival placed Pakistan at 127th, with the country leading in sex ratio at birth, indicating high parity between male and female births. Male healthy life expectancy was slightly higher at 57.1 per cent compared to 56.69 per cent for women.

In political empowerment, Pakistan ranked 107th, with men dominating parliament at 78.31 per cent and ministerial positions at 96.55 per cent. Despite having a female head of state for 4.73 of the last 50 years, Pakistan still ranked 39th in this subindex. The report also highlighted disparities in inheritance rights, access to financial services, land assets, and reproductive autonomy for women in Pakistan.