
Global Gender Gap Report
Encyclopedia

World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
. The 2010 report covers 134 major and emerging economies.
The Report’s Gender Gap Index ranks countries according to their gender gaps and their scores can be interpreted as the percentage of the inequality between women and men that has been closed. Information about gender imbalances to the advantage of women is explicitly prevented from affecting the score. The three highest ranking countries have closed a little over 80% of their gender gaps, while the lowest ranking country has closed only a little over 45% of its gender gap. It “assesses countries on how well they are dividing their resources and opportunities among their male and female populations, regardless of the overall levels of these resources and opportunities,” the Report says. “By providing a comprehensible framework for assessing and comparing global gender gaps and by revealing those countries that are role models in dividing these resources equitably between women and men, the Report serves as a catalyst for greater awareness as well as greater exchange between policymakers.”
The Report examines four critical areas of inequality between men and women in 130 economies around the globe, over 92% of the world’s population:
Thirteen out of the 14 variables used to create the Index are from publicly available “hard data” indicators from international organizations, such as the International Labour Organization
International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
, the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
and the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
.

Global Gender Gap Index rankings
The table is initially sorted according to the 2011 ranking. The highest possible score is 1 (equality) and the lowest possible score is 0 (inequality). Data for some countries is unavailable.Rank | Country | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
0.7813 | 0.7836 | 0.7999 | 0.8276 | 0.8496 | 0.8530 |
2 | ![]() |
0.7994 | 0.8059 | 0.8239 | 0.8227 | 0.8404 | 0.8404 |
3 | ![]() |
0.7958 | 0.8044 | 0.8195 | 0.8252 | 0.8260 | 0.8383 |
4 | ![]() |
0.8133 | 0.8146 | 0.8139 | 0.8139 | 0.8024 | 0.8044 |
5 | ![]() |
0.7335 | 0.7457 | 0.7518 | 0.7597 | 0.7773 | 0.7830 |
6 | ![]() |
0.7509 | 0.7649 | 0.7859 | 0.7880 | 0.7808 | 0.7810 |
7 | ![]() |
0.7462 | 0.7519 | 0.7538 | 0.7628 | 0.7719 | 0.7778 |
8 | ![]() |
0.7516 | 0.7629 | 0.7568 | 0.7579 | 0.7654 | 0.7685 |
9 | ![]() |
0.6807 | 0.7078 | 0.7320 | 0.7495 | 0.7678 | 0.7666 |
10 | ![]() |
0.6997 | 0.6924 | 0.7360 | 0.7426 | 0.7562 | 0.7627 |
11 | ![]() |
0.7524 | 0.7618 | 0.7394 | 0.7449 | 0.7530 | 0.7590 |
12 | ![]() |
0.7319 | 0.7444 | 0.7281 | 0.7345 | 0.7554 | 0.7580 |
13 | ![]() |
0.7078 | 0.7198 | 0.7163 | 0.7165 | 0.7509 | 0.7531 |
14 | ![]() |
0.7125 | 0.7194 | 0.7232 | 0.7709 | 0.7535 | 0.7478 |
15 | ![]() |
0.7250 | 0.7383 | 0.7399 | 0.7490 | 0.7444 | 0.7470 |
16 | ![]() |
0.7365 | 0.7441 | 0.7366 | 0.7402 | 0.7460 | 0.7462 |
17 | ![]() |
0.7042 | 0.7002 | 0.7179 | 0.7173 | 0.7411 | 0.7412 |
18 | ![]() |
0.7165 | 0.7198 | 0.7136 | 0.7196 | 0.7372 | 0.7407 |
19 | ![]() |
0.7091 | 0.7333 | 0.7397 | 0.7416 | 0.7429 | 0.7399 |
20 | ![]() |
n/a | 0.7169 | 0.7195 | 0.7176 | 0.7253 | 0.7394 |
21 | ![]() |
0.6797 | 0.6859 | 0.7245 | 0.7298 | 0.7353 | 0.7372 |
22 | ![]() |
n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.7179 | 0.7128 | 0.7340 |
23 | ![]() |
0.7163 | 0.7204 | 0.7241 | 0.7282 | 0.7271 | 0.7291 |
24 | ![]() |
n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.7270 |
25 | ![]() |
0.6936 | 0.7014 | 0.7111 | 0.7180 | 0.7194 | 0.7266 |
26 | ![]() |
n/a | 0.6883 | 0.7266 | 0.7195 | 0.7329 | 0.7251 |
27 | ![]() |
0.6566 | 0.6458 | 0.6747 | 0.7002 | 0.7176 | 0.7245 |
28 | ![]() |
0.6829 | 0.6982 | 0.7209 | 0.7211 | 0.7187 | 0.7236 |
29 | ![]() |
0.6797 | 0.6833 | 0.6981 | 0.7067 | 0.7169 | 0.7220 |
30 | ![]() |
0.6671 | 0.6786 | 0.6802 | 0.6889 | 0.7231 | 0.7216 |
31 | ![]() |
0.7199 | 0.7230 | 0.7371 | 0.7402 | 0.7458 | 0.7212 |
32 | ![]() |
0.6864 | 0.7012 | 0.7141 | 0.7167 | 0.7238 | 0.7177 |
33 | ![]() |
n/a | n/a | 0.7188 | 0.7236 | 0.7176 | 0.7170 |
34 | ![]() |
0.6986 | 0.7060 | 0.7153 | 0.7031 | 0.7091 | 0.7165 |
35 | ![]() |
0.6922 | 0.6959 | 0.7051 | 0.7013 | 0.7171 | 0.7144 |
36 | ![]() |
0.6821 | 0.6731 | 0.7049 | 0.7221 | 0.7194 | 0.7140 |
37 | ![]() |
0.7077 | 0.7234 | 0.7222 | 0.7175 | 0.7132 | 0.7131 |
38 | ![]() |
n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.7108 | 0.7090 | 0.7084 |
39 | ![]() |
0.7128 | 0.7172 | 0.7244 | 0.7104 | 0.7160 | 0.7083 |
40 | ![]() |
0.6935 | 0.6954 | 0.7095 | 0.7024 | 0.7072 | 0.7042 |
41 | ![]() |
0.6745 | 0.6842 | 0.6937 | 0.6982 | 0.7047 | 0.7041 |
42 | ![]() |
0.6802 | 0.6756 | 0.6951 | 0.6998 | 0.7037 | 0.7038 |
43 | ![]() |
0.6770 | 0.6866 | 0.6994 | 0.6987 | 0.7036 | 0.7037 |
44 | ![]() |
0.6742 | 0.6653 | 0.7045 | 0.7058 | 0.6973 | 0.7036 |
45 | ![]() |
0.6433 | 0.6881 | 0.7091 | 0.7220 | 0.7072 | 0.7035 |
46 | ![]() |
0.6455 | 0.6482 | 0.6818 | 0.6884 | 0.7013 | 0.7030 |
47 | ![]() |
0.7014 | 0.6925 | 0.6980 | 0.7013 | 0.7037 | 0.7028 |
48 | ![]() |
0.6520 | 0.6824 | 0.7341 | 0.7331 | 0.7025 | 0.7018 |
49 | ![]() |
0.6928 | 0.6983 | 0.6976 | 0.7013 | 0.7055 | 0.7010 |
50 | ![]() |
0.7145 | 0.7210 | 0.6967 | 0.6944 | 0.6939 | 0.7006 |
51 | ![]() |
0.6870 | 0.7085 | 0.7077 | 0.7072 | 0.6983 | 0.6987 |
52 | ![]() |
0.6944 | 0.7008 | 0.7076 | 0.7094 | 0.7018 | 0.6983 |
53 | ![]() |
0.6983 | 0.6967 | 0.6914 | 0.6950 | 0.6996 | 0.6966 |
54 | ![]() |
0.6483 | 0.6661 | 0.6960 | 0.6893 | 0.6927 | 0.6945 |
55 | ![]() |
0.6889 | 0.6965 | 0.6900 | 0.7019 | 0.6957 | 0.6926 |
56 | ![]() |
0.6540 | 0.6648 | 0.6727 | 0.6662 | 0.6908 | 0.6916 |
57 | ![]() |
0.6550 | 0.6609 | 0.6625 | 0.6664 | 0.6914 | 0.6914 |
58 | ![]() |
0.6549 | 0.6608 | 0.6907 | 0.6936 | 0.6897 | 0.6907 |
59 | ![]() |
0.7038 | 0.6969 | 0.7068 | 0.6797 | 0.6829 | 0.6904 |
60 | ![]() |
0.6831 | 0.6815 | 0.6917 | 0.6907 | 0.6910 | 0.6892 |
61 | ![]() |
0.6561 | 0.6643 | 0.6878 | 0.6907 | 0.6881 | 0.6866 |
62 | ![]() |
0.6335 | 0.6574 | 0.6667 | 0.6693 | 0.6751 | 0.6862 |
63 | ![]() |
0.6664 | 0.6797 | 0.6875 | 0.6839 | 0.6863 | 0.6861 |
64 | ![]() |
0.6797 | 0.6790 | 0.6856 | 0.6896 | 0.6869 | 0.6861 |
65 | ![]() |
0.6437 | 0.6480 | 0.6664 | 0.6738 | 0.6824 | 0.6850 |
66 | ![]() |
0.6897 | 0.6797 | 0.6839 | 0.7071 | 0.6876 | 0.6832 |
67 | ![]() |
0.6556 | 0.6659 | 0.6379 | 0.6868 | 0.6804 | 0.6818 |
68 | ![]() |
0.6797 | 0.6859 | 0.6763 | 0.6805 | 0.6826 | 0.6812 |
69 | ![]() |
0.6270 | 0.6314 | 0.6531 | 0.6526 | 0.6702 | 0.6812 |
70 | ![]() |
0.6653 | 0.6725 | 0.6679 | 0.6704 | 0.6782 | 0.6811 |
71 | ![]() |
0.6385 | 0.6461 | 0.6736 | 0.6732 | 0.6713 | 0.6797 |
72 | ![]() |
0.6757 | 0.6797 | 0.6824 | 0.6845 | 0.6778 | 0.6797 |
73 | ![]() |
0.6619 | 0.6624 | 0.6959 | 0.7024 | 0.6895 | 0.6796 |
74 | ![]() |
0.6456 | 0.6498 | 0.6788 | 0.6798 | 0.6765 | 0.6796 |
75 | ![]() |
0.6712 | 0.6718 | 0.6770 | 0.6789 | 0.6850 | 0.6789 |
76 | ![]() |
n/a | n/a | 0.6392 | 0.6524 | 0.6748 | 0.6787 |
77 | 0.6448 | 0.6421 | 0.6622 | 0.6752 | 0.6762 | 0.6763 | |
78 | ![]() |
0.6607 | 0.6685 | 0.6591 | 0.6601 | 0.6726 | 0.6748 |
79 | ![]() |
n/a | 0.6889 | 0.6778 | 0.6802 | 0.6776 | 0.6732 |
80 | ![]() |
0.7049 | 0.7090 | 0.6944 | 0.6939 | 0.6927 | 0.6714 |
81 | ![]() |
0.6639 | 0.6705 | 0.6744 | 0.6859 | 0.6774 | 0.6682 |
82 | ![]() |
0.6543 | 0.6637 | 0.6737 | 0.6695 | 0.6655 | 0.6679 |
83 | ![]() |
0.6518 | 0.6615 | 0.6634 | 0.6635 | 0.6695 | 0.6658 |
84 | ![]() |
n/a | 0.6651 | 0.6677 | 0.6619 | 0.6669 | 0.6654 |
85 | ![]() |
0.6698 | 0.6731 | 0.6867 | 0.6879 | 0.6720 | 0.6642 |
86 | ![]() |
0.6700 | 0.6665 | 0.6654 | 0.6680 | 0.6598 | 0.6624 |
87 | ![]() |
0.6039 | 0.6034 | 0.6032 | 0.6353 | 0.6712 | 0.6624 |
88 | ![]() |
0.6461 | 0.6464 | 0.6485 | 0.6518 | 0.6574 | 0.6607 |
89 | ![]() |
0.6462 | 0.6441 | 0.6441 | 0.6503 | 0.6577 | 0.6604 |
90 | ![]() |
0.6541 | 0.6550 | 0.6473 | 0.6580 | 0.6615 | 0.6594 |
91 | ![]() |
n/a | 0.6781 | 0.6856 | 0.6626 | 0.6446 | 0.6577 |
92 | ![]() |
n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.6427 | 0.6414 | 0.6573 |
93 | ![]() |
0.6430 | 0.6522 | 0.6694 | 0.6706 | 0.6642 | 0.6567 |
94 | ![]() |
0.6837 | 0.6853 | 0.6875 | 0.6939 | 0.6596 | 0.6567 |
95 | ![]() |
0.6328 | 0.6487 | 0.6466 | 0.6513 | 0.6520 | 0.6529 |
96 | ![]() |
n/a | 0.6578 | 0.6541 | 0.6661 | 0.6598 | 0.6526 |
97 | ![]() |
0.6509 | 0.6444 | 0.6442 | 0.6467 | 0.6479 | 0.6525 |
98 | ![]() |
0.6447 | 0.6455 | 0.6434 | 0.6447 | 0.6524 | 0.6514 |
99 | ![]() |
0.6486 | 0.6508 | 0.6547 | 0.6512 | 0.6499 | 0.6493 |
100 | ![]() |
n/a | 0.6426 | 0.6610 | 0.6636 | 0.6536 | 0.6489 |
101 | ![]() |
n/a | 0.6350 | 0.6501 | 0.6482 | 0.6452 | 0.6480 |
102 | ![]() |
0.6291 | 0.6353 | 0.6469 | 0.6410 | 0.6482 | 0.6464 |
103 | ![]() |
0.5919 | 0.6184 | 0.6220 | 0.6198 | 0.6397 | 0.6454 |
104 | ![]() |
n/a | 0.6794 | 0.6674 | 0.6726 | 0.6407 | 0.6395 |
105 | ![]() |
0.6341 | 0.6409 | 0.6358 | 0.6356 | 0.6318 | 0.6322 |
106 | ![]() |
0.6360 | 0.6288 | 0.6205 | 0.6310 | 0.6293 | 0.6300 |
107 | ![]() |
0.6157 | 0.6409 | 0.6154 | 0.6146 | 0.6342 | 0.6281 |
108 | ![]() |
0.6288 | 0.6283 | 0.6295 | 0.6233 | 0.6266 | 0.6255 |
109 | ![]() |
n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.6414 | 0.6256 | 0.6255 |
110 | ![]() |
0.5894 | 0.5931 | 0.5927 | 0.6136 | 0.6217 | 0.6232 |
111 | ![]() |
n/a | 0.6041 | 0.5948 | 0.5907 | 0.6059 | 0.6230 |
112 | ![]() |
0.6067 | 0.6144 | 0.6072 | 0.6209 | 0.6238 | 0.6229 |
113 | ![]() |
0.6011 | 0.5936 | 0.6060 | 0.6151 | 0.6155 | 0.6190 |
114 | ![]() |
0.5835 | 0.6022 | 0.6117 | 0.6103 | 0.6152 | 0.6164 |
115 | ![]() |
0.5854 | 0.5912 | 0.6029 | 0.6081 | 0.6162 | 0.6153 |
116 | ![]() |
0.5946 | 0.5991 | 0.5867 | 0.5948 | 0.6019 | 0.6136 |
117 | ![]() |
0.6109 | 0.6203 | 0.6275 | 0.6182 | 0.6048 | 0.6117 |
118 | ![]() |
n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.6084 | 0.6083 |
119 | ![]() |
0.5865 | 0.5919 | 0.6017 | 0.6108 | 0.6110 | 0.6073 |
120 | ![]() |
0.6104 | 0.6122 | 0.6339 | 0.6280 | 0.6055 | 0.6011 |
121 | ![]() |
0.6018 | 0.6068 | 0.6111 | 0.6119 | 0.6052 | 0.5991 |
122 | ![]() |
0.5850 | 0.5768 | 0.5853 | 0.5828 | 0.5876 | 0.5954 |
123 | ![]() |
0.5786 | 0.5809 | 0.5832 | 0.5862 | 0.5899 | 0.5933 |
124 | ![]() |
n/a | 0.6216 | 0.6181 | 0.6072 | 0.5926 | 0.5896 |
125 | ![]() |
0.5803 | 0.5903 | 0.6021 | 0.5839 | 0.5933 | 0.5894 |
126 | ![]() |
0.5478 | 0.5575 | 0.5942 | 0.6213 | 0.6084 | 0.5888 |
127 | ![]() |
n/a | 0.5903 | 0.5960 | 0.5938 | 0.5950 | 0.5873 |
128 | ![]() |
0.5780 | 0.5656 | 0.5582 | 0.5643 | 0.5719 | 0.5832 |
129 | ![]() |
0.5827 | 0.5676 | 0.5757 | 0.5926 | 0.5767 | 0.5804 |
130 | ![]() |
n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.5691 | 0.5773 |
131 | ![]() |
0.5242 | 0.5647 | 0.5537 | 0.5651 | 0.5713 | 0.5753 |
132 | ![]() |
0.5996 | 0.6019 | 0.6117 | 0.5860 | 0.5680 | 0.5752 |
133 | ![]() |
0.5434 | 0.5509 | 0.5549 | 0.5458 | 0.5465 | 0.5583 |
134 | ![]() |
0.5247 | 0.5381 | 0.5290 | 0.5417 | 0.5330 | 0.5334 |
135 | ![]() |
0.4595 | 0.4510 | 0.4664 | 0.4609 | 0.4603 | 0.4873 |
Africa
5 highest GGIsRank | Country | GGI | |
---|---|---|---|
2009 data | Change compared to 2008 data | ||
1 | ![]() |
0.7709 | +0.0337 |
2 | ![]() |
0.7495 | +0.0175 |
3 | ![]() |
0.7195 | -0.0071 |
4 | ![]() |
0.7167 | +0.0026 |
5 | ![]() |
0.7071 | +0.0232 |
5 lowest GGIs
Rank | Country | GGI | |
---|---|---|---|
2007 data | Change compared to 2006 data | ||
1 | ![]() |
0.5417 | +0.0127 |
2 | ![]() |
0.5643 | +0.0061 |
3 | ![]() |
0.5860 | -0.0257 |
4 | ![]() |
0.5948 | +0.0081 |
5 | ![]() |
0.6081 | +0.0052 |
North America
5 highest GGIsRank | Country | GGI | |
---|---|---|---|
2010 data | Change compared to 2009 data | ||
1 | ![]() |
0.7411 | +0.0238 |
2 | ![]() |
0.7372 | +0.0176 |
3 | ![]() |
0.7353 | +0.0055 |
4 | ![]() |
0.7194 | +0.0014 |
5 | ![]() |
0.7128 | -0.0051 |
5 lowest GGIs
Rank | Country | GGI | |
---|---|---|---|
2010 data | Change compared to 2009 data | ||
1 | ![]() |
0.6238 | +0.0029 |
2 | ![]() |
0.6536 | -0.0100 |
3 | ![]() |
0.6577 | +0.0074 |
4 | ![]() |
0.6596 | -0.0343 |
5 | ![]() |
0.6774 | -0.0085 |
South America
5 highest GGIsRank | Country | GGI | |
---|---|---|---|
2011 data | Change compared to 2010 data | ||
1 | ![]() |
0.7238 | +0.0051 |
2 | ![]() |
0.7084 | -0.0006 |
3 | ![]() |
0.7035 | -0.0037 |
4 | ![]() |
0.7030 | +0.0017 |
5 | ![]() |
0.6907 | +0.0010 |
5 lowest GGIs
Rank | Country | GGI | |
---|---|---|---|
2011 data | Change compared to 2010 data | ||
1 | ![]() |
0.6395 | -0.0012 |
2 | ![]() |
0.6679 | +0.0024 |
3 | ![]() |
0.6714 | -0.0213 |
4 | ![]() |
0.6796 | -0.0099 |
5 | ![]() |
0.6818 | +0.0014 |
Asia
5 highest GGIsRank | Country | GGI | |
---|---|---|---|
2009 data | Change compared to 2008 data | ||
1 | ![]() |
0.7579 | +0.0011 |
2 | ![]() |
0.7402 | +0.0031 |
3 | ![]() |
0.7221 | +0.0172 |
4 | ![]() |
0.6907 | -0.0010 |
5 | ![]() |
0.6907 | +0.0029 |
5 lowest GGIs
Rank | Country | GGI | |
---|---|---|---|
2007 data | Change compared to 2006 data | ||
1 | ![]() |
0.5458 | -0.0091 |
2 | ![]() |
0.6146 | +0.0008 |
3 | ![]() |
0.6151 | +0.0091 |
4 | ![]() |
0.6213 | +0.0271 |
5 | ![]() |
0.6410 | -0.0059 |
Europe
5 highest GGIsRank | Country | GGI | |
---|---|---|---|
2010 data | Change compared to 2009 data | ||
1 | ![]() |
0.8496 | +0.0220 |
2 | ![]() |
0.8404 | +0.0177 |
3 | ![]() |
0.8260 | +0.0008 |
4 | ![]() |
0.8024 | –0.0116 |
5 | ![]() |
0.7773 | +0.0177 |
5 lowest GGIs
Rank | Country | GGI | |
---|---|---|---|
2007 data | Change compared to 2006 data | ||
1 | ![]() |
0.6601 | +0.0010 |
2 | ![]() |
0.6635 | +0.0001 |
3 | ![]() |
0.6662 | -0.0065 |
4 | ![]() |
0.6789 | +0.0019 |
5 | ![]() |
0.6798 | +0.0010 |
North Africa & the Middle East
5 highest GGIsRank | Country | GGI | |
---|---|---|---|
2011 data | Change compared to 2010 data | ||
1 | ![]() |
0.6926 | -0.0031 |
2 | ![]() |
0.6654 | -0.0015 |
3 | ![]() |
0.6624 | +0.0026 |
4 | ![]() |
0.6577 | -0.0075 |
5 | ![]() |
0.6567 | +0.0131 |
5 lowest GGIs
Rank | Country | GGI | |
---|---|---|---|
2011 data | Change compared to 2010 data | ||
1 | ![]() |
0.4873 | +0.0270 |
2 | ![]() |
0.5753 | +0.0040 |
3 | ![]() |
0.5804 | +0.0037 |
4 | ![]() |
0.5873 | -0.0077 |
5 | ![]() |
0.5894 | -0.0039 |
Oceania
5 highest GGIsRank | Country | GGI | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 data | Change compared to 2008 data | |||
1 | ![]() |
0.7880 | +0.0021 | |
2 | ![]() |
0.7282 | +0.0041 | |
3 | ![]() |
0.6414 | NA | |
4 | NA | |||
5 | NA |