Pakistan third from bottom in WEF gender gap index; women lag in workforce

Pakistan has been ranked third from the bottom in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2026, highlighting significant disparities in gender equality. The country has closed 59.5% of its gender gap, marking the strongest year-on-year improvement in a decade. The WEF index assesses gender parity in four areas: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.

Pakistan's progress in education is a key driver of the improvement, with parity in educational attainment reaching 91.7%. This represents a 21 percentage point increase since 2006, making education the primary factor in the country's overall improvement in the 2026 index. However, Pakistan continues to lag behind in workforce participation, with women holding only 6.5% of legislative positions and 44.9% of professional and technical jobs.

The country also ranks poorly in political representation, with women comprising just 3.45% of ministerial positions, compared to 96.55% of men. Additionally, women in Pakistan experience high levels of gender-based violence, with 24.9% reporting having faced such violence at some point in their lives.