The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released the Global Gender Gap Index for 2026, which is the 20th Edition of the report.
According to the World Economic Forum, it was first introduced by the WEF in 2006 to measure the gap between genders across four dimensions, which are: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival and Political Empowerment.
India ranked 131st out of 145 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2026, with an overall gender parity score of 64.5%.
Let’s explore this article in detail and check the complete ranking here for all 145 countries!
India’s Global Gender Gap Index 2026: Key Highlights
|
Particular
|
India’s performance
|
|
Global Rank
|
131st
|
|
Number of economies
|
145
|
|
Overall parity score
|
64.5%
|
|
Economic Participation and Opportunity
|
41.2%
|
|
Educational Attainment
|
96.6%
|
|
Health and Survival
|
95.6%
|
|
Political Empowerment
|
24.5%
|
|
Political Empowerment Global Rank
|
67th
|
|
Change since 2006
|
+4.3 percentage points
|
What is the Global Gender Gap Index?
The Global Gender Gap Index was introduced by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2006 to
benchmark progress towards gender parity across four dimensions:
1. Economic Participation and Opportunity
2. Educational Attainment
3. Health and Survival
4. Political Empowerment
Source: weforum
India’s Performance in the Four Areas
1. Economic Participation and Opportunity
-
Labour-force participation parity: 44.1%
Professional and technical workers: 49.9%
Legislators, senior officials and managers: 13.1%
Professional and technical worker parity increased from 26.6% in 2006 to 49.9% in 2026.
2. Educational Attainment
Education remains one of India's highest-scoring areas.
India recorded 96.6% parity in Educational Attainment in 2026. However, this was 0.5 percentage points lower than the previous edition.
3. Health and Survival
India recorded a 95.6% parity score in Health and Survival.
4. Political Empowerment
-
Parliamentary representation parity: 16.1%
-
Ministerial representation parity: 5.9%
-
Head-of-state indicator: 40.7%
Global Gender Gap Index 2026: Check Complete Ranking Here for All 145 Countries
Iceland continued to occupy the first position in the Global Gender Gap Index 2026, followed by Finland and Norway. Check Complete Ranking Here for All 145 Countries
|
Rank
|
Economy
|
Gender Gap Score
|
Score Change
|
Rank Change
|
|
1
|
Iceland
|
0.930
|
+0.005
|
-
|
|
2
|
Finland
|
0.872
|
-0.006
|
-
|
|
3
|
Norway
|
0.857
|
-0.006
|
-
|
|
4
|
Namibia
|
0.845
|
+0.034
|
+4
|
|
5
|
United Kingdom
|
0.842
|
+0.004
|
-1
|
|
6
|
New Zealand
|
0.828
|
+0.001
|
-1
|
|
7
|
Sweden
|
0.823
|
+0.006
|
-1
|
|
8
|
Australia
|
0.819
|
+0.027
|
+5
|
|
9
|
Germany
|
0.817
|
+0.013
|
-
|
|
10
|
Ireland
|
0.814
|
+0.013
|
-
|
|
11
|
Denmark
|
0.810
|
+0.019
|
+3
|
|
12
|
Spain
|
0.796
|
-0.001
|
-
|
|
13
|
Barbados
|
0.794
|
+0.008
|
+2
|
|
14
|
Lithuania
|
0.791
|
+0.008
|
+5
|
|
15
|
Republic of Moldova
|
0.791
|
-0.023
|
-8
|
|
16
|
Ecuador
|
0.790
|
+0.016
|
+9
|
|
17
|
Latvia
|
0.788
|
+0.010
|
+4
|
|
18
|
Mexico
|
0.787
|
+0.011
|
+5
|
|
19
|
Estonia
|
0.782
|
-0.017
|
-8
|
|
20
|
Philippines
|
0.780
|
-0.001
|
-
|
|
21
|
Costa Rica
|
0.779
|
-0.007
|
-5
|
|
22
|
France
|
0.779
|
+0.014
|
+13
|
|
23
|
Slovenia
|
0.778
|
+0.008
|
+6
|
|
24
|
Canada
|
0.777
|
+0.010
|
+8
|
|
25
|
Albania
|
0.775
|
+0.012
|
+11
|
|
26
|
Burundi
|
0.771
|
+0.016
|
+18
|
|
27
|
Switzerland
|
0.771
|
-0.014
|
-10
|
|
28
|
Rwanda
|
0.769
|
+0.008
|
+11
|
|
29
|
Chile
|
0.769
|
-0.008
|
-7
|
|
30
|
South Africa
|
0.766
|
-0.001
|
+3
|
|
31
|
Singapore
|
0.764
|
+0.015
|
+16
|
|
32
|
Portugal
|
0.763
|
-0.003
|
+2
|
|
33
|
Belgium
|
0.762
|
-0.011
|
-6
|
|
34
|
Colombia
|
0.761
|
+0.003
|
+7
|
|
35
|
Guyana
|
0.759
|
-0.010
|
-4
|
|
36
|
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
|
0.758
|
+0.010
|
+12
|
|
37
|
Jamaica
|
0.757
|
-0.005
|
+1
|
|
38
|
Trinidad and Tobago
|
0.757
|
-0.015
|
-10
|
|
39
|
Serbia
|
0.754
|
-0.020
|
-13
|
|
40
|
Austria
|
0.753
|
+0.018
|
+16
|
|
41
|
Panama
|
0.753
|
+0.011
|
+10
|
|
42
|
Luxembourg
|
0.752
|
+0.007
|
+8
|
|
43
|
Liberia
|
0.751
|
-0.009
|
-3
|
|
44
|
Poland
|
0.751
|
+0.001
|
+1
|
|
45
|
Argentina
|
0.751
|
-0.011
|
-8
|
|
46
|
Netherlands
|
0.750
|
-0.007
|
-3
|
|
47
|
United States of America
|
0.749
|
-0.008
|
-5
|
|
48
|
Croatia
|
0.744
|
+0.015
|
+16
|
|
49
|
Zimbabwe
|
0.743
|
-0.004
|
-
|
|
50
|
Guatemala
|
0.740
|
+0.034
|
+31
|
|
51
|
Honduras
|
0.740
|
+0.013
|
+16
|
|
52
|
Belarus
|
0.740
|
+0.003
|
+2
|
|
53
|
Uruguay
|
0.740
|
+0.020
|
+18
|
|
54
|
United Republic of Tanzania
|
0.736
|
-0.001
|
+1
|
|
55
|
Thailand
|
0.735
|
+0.008
|
+11
|
|
56
|
Ghana
|
0.732
|
+0.029
|
+32
|
|
57
|
Suriname
|
0.732
|
-0.006
|
-5
|
|
58
|
Armenia
|
0.731
|
0.000
|
+1
|
|
59
|
Mozambique
|
0.728
|
-0.010
|
-6
|
|
60
|
Georgia
|
0.727
|
-0.003
|
+3
|
|
61
|
El Salvador
|
0.724
|
+0.016
|
+17
|
|
62
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
0.723
|
+0.005
|
+11
|
|
63
|
Botswana
|
0.722
|
-0.009
|
-3
|
|
64
|
Slovakia
|
0.721
|
-0.002
|
+6
|
|
65
|
Kenya
|
0.721
|
+0.032
|
+33
|
|
66
|
Ukraine
|
0.721
|
-0.009
|
-4
|
|
67
|
Dominican Republic
|
0.721
|
-0.009
|
-6
|
|
68
|
Gabon
|
0.721
|
+0.022
|
+23
|
|
69
|
Cape Verde
|
0.721
|
-0.049
|
-39
|
|
70
|
Mongolia
|
0.719
|
-0.009
|
-5
|
|
71
|
Israel
|
0.717
|
+0.008
|
+5
|
|
72
|
Brazil
|
0.715
|
-0.004
|
-
|
|
73
|
Malta
|
0.715
|
-0.011
|
—
|
|
74
|
Montenegro
|
0.715
|
+0.010
|
+10
|
|
75
|
Greece
|
0.714
|
+0.006
|
+2
|
|
76
|
Eswatini
|
0.714
|
-0.034
|
-30
|
|
77
|
Czechia
|
0.712
|
+0.027
|
+25
|
|
78
|
Cyprus
|
0.712
|
+0.006
|
+4
|
|
79
|
Bangladesh
|
0.712
|
-0.062
|
-55
|
|
80
|
Bulgaria
|
0.710
|
+0.004
|
+3
|
|
81
|
Madagascar
|
0.709
|
-0.025
|
-23
|
|
82
|
North Macedonia
|
0.709
|
+0.010
|
+8
|
|
83
|
Italy
|
0.708
|
+0.004
|
+2
|
|
84
|
Viet Nam
|
0.707
|
-0.006
|
-10
|
|
85
|
Hungary
|
0.707
|
+0.023
|
+20
|
|
86
|
Paraguay
|
0.706
|
+0.003
|
+1
|
|
87
|
Angola
|
0.705
|
+0.037
|
+30
|
|
88
|
Kyrgyzstan
|
0.704
|
+0.007
|
+7
|
|
89
|
Lao PDR
|
0.703
|
+0.011
|
+7
|
|
90
|
Cameroon
|
0.703
|
+0.005
|
+3
|
|
91
|
United Arab Emirates
|
0.702
|
-0.022
|
-22
|
|
92
|
Belize
|
0.701
|
0.000
|
-3
|
|
93
|
Timor-Leste
|
0.701
|
-0.003
|
-7
|
|
94
|
Peru
|
0.700
|
-0.034
|
-37
|
|
95
|
Kazakhstan
|
0.700
|
+0.002
|
-3
|
|
96
|
China
|
0.699
|
+0.013
|
+7
|
|
97
|
Romania
|
0.698
|
+0.001
|
-3
|
|
98
|
Azerbaijan
|
0.697
|
+0.009
|
+2
|
|
99
|
Malawi*
|
0.695
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
100
|
Lesotho
|
0.693
|
+0.005
|
-1
|
|
101
|
South Korea
|
0.693
|
+0.006
|
-
|
|
102
|
Mauritius
|
0.691
|
+0.014
|
+9
|
|
103
|
Comoros
|
0.689
|
+0.018
|
+12
|
|
104
|
Malaysia
|
0.689
|
+0.008
|
+4
|
|
105
|
Bahrain
|
0.689
|
+0.004
|
-1
|
|
106
|
Indonesia
|
0.687
|
-0.004
|
-9
|
|
107
|
Vanuatu
|
0.686
|
+0.007
|
+2
|
|
108
|
Zambia
|
0.684
|
-0.023
|
-29
|
|
109
|
Sierra Leone
|
0.683
|
+0.006
|
+3
|
|
110
|
Uzbekistan
|
0.682
|
+0.003
|
-
|
|
111
|
Brunei Darussalam
|
0.681
|
0.000
|
-4
|
|
112
|
Benin
|
0.681
|
+0.005
|
+1
|
|
113
|
Cambodia
|
0.680
|
-0.002
|
-7
|
|
114
|
Nigeria
|
0.676
|
+0.027
|
+10
|
|
115
|
Burkina Faso
|
0.676
|
+0.016
|
+5
|
|
116
|
Togo
|
0.675
|
+0.019
|
+5
|
|
117
|
Japan
|
0.670
|
+0.004
|
+1
|
|
118
|
Senegal
|
0.670
|
+0.001
|
-2
|
|
119
|
Maldives
|
0.669
|
+0.044
|
+19
|
|
120
|
Nepal
|
0.669
|
+0.021
|
+5
|
|
121
|
Bhutan
|
0.663
|
0.000
|
-2
|
|
122
|
Côte d’Ivoire
|
0.660
|
+0.013
|
+5
|
|
123
|
Gambia, Republic of the
|
0.660
|
-0.014
|
-9
|
|
124
|
Niger
|
0.655
|
+0.042
|
+18
|
|
125
|
Tunisia
|
0.650
|
-0.003
|
-2
|
|
126
|
Türkiye
|
0.649
|
+0.017
|
+9
|
|
127
|
Jordan
|
0.649
|
-0.006
|
-5
|
|
128
|
Lebanon
|
0.648
|
+0.016
|
+8
|
|
129
|
Sri Lanka
|
0.646
|
0.000
|
+1
|
|
130
|
Fiji
|
0.646
|
-0.002
|
-4
|
|
131
|
India
|
0.645
|
+0.001
|
-
|
|
132
|
Papua New Guinea
|
0.642
|
+0.003
|
+1
|
|
133
|
Kuwait
|
0.641
|
-0.006
|
-5
|
|
134
|
Oman
|
0.639
|
+0.001
|
-
|
|
135
|
Qatar*
|
0.638
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
136
|
Tajikistan
|
0.638
|
-0.008
|
-7
|
|
137
|
Saudi Arabia
|
0.633
|
-0.010
|
-5
|
|
138
|
Egypt
|
0.632
|
+0.007
|
+1
|
|
139
|
Morocco
|
0.632
|
+0.004
|
-2
|
|
140
|
Mali
|
0.619
|
+0.002
|
-
|
|
141
|
Algeria
|
0.618
|
+0.004
|
-
|
|
142
|
Democratic Republic of the Congo
|
0.595
|
-0.006
|
+1
|
|
143
|
Pakistan
|
0.595
|
+0.028
|
+5
|
|
144
|
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
|
0.585
|
+0.002
|
+1
|
|
145
|
Chad
|
0.578
|
+0.007
|
+1
|
Source: World Economic Forum, Global Gender Gap Report 2026
Key Facts to Remember
-
Report: Global Gender Gap Report 2026
-
Published by: World Economic Forum
-
Number of economies: 145
-
India's rank:131st
-
India's score:64.5%
-
India's rank in 2025: 131st
-
India's improvement since 2006: +4.3 percentage points
-
Top country: Iceland
-
Second: Finland
-
Third: Norway
-
Lowest-ranked: Chad
-
Global gender gap closed: 69.2%
-
Estimated time to global parity at the historical pace: 120 years
-
Main dimensions: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, Political Empowerment