Pakistan third from bottom in WEF gender gap index; women lag in workforce
Pakistan ranks 143rd out of 145 countries in the 2026 WEF Global Gender Gap Report, showing slight improvement driven by educational attainment. However, the country continues to struggle significantly with economic participation and political representation for women.
Why it matters
The report highlights persistent structural barriers to gender equality in Pakistan, particularly in the workforce and leadership roles, which impact the nation's economic development.
NEW DELHI: Pakistan has ranked 143rd among 145 economies in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2026, placing it third from the bottom with 59.5% of its gender gap closed. Its score improved by 2.8 percentage points from 2025, marking the country's strongest year-on-year improvement in a decade, according to the report.The WEF index measures gender parity across four areas — economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment, media outlet Dawn cited.Pakistan's overall score has risen by 5.2 percentage points since 2006, when it stood at 54.3%. The WEF said the latest improvement was driven largely by gains in educational attainment.Women remain far behind men in workforceEconomic participation continued to be Pakistan's weakest area, with the country scoring 36.4% and ranking 144th globally.
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