India's rank on Global Gender Gap Index unchanged at 131; Iceland retains top spot

India retained its 131st position in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index 2026, even as its overall gender parity score improved marginally, with Iceland continuing to lead the 145-country ranking.

Finland and Norway retained the second and third positions respectively, while Chad was ranked the lowest. Iran and Pakistan occupied the other two spots in the bottom three.

Only 14 countries ranked below India on the index, including Papua New Guinea, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Mali, Algeria and Congo.

According to the Geneva-based WEF, India closed 64.5 per cent of its overall gender gap in 2026, below the global average of 69.2 per cent. India's score improved slightly from the previous edition, but its overall rank remained unchanged.

The report said India's gender parity has improved by 4.3 percentage points since 2006, primarily due to gains in educational attainment.

India recorded a parity score of 41.2 per cent in economic participation and opportunity, an improvement of 0.5 percentage points from the previous edition but 3.5 points below its best score in 2013.

The share of professional and technical workers showed significant improvement, with parity rising from 26.6 per cent in 2006 to 49.9 per cent in 2026.

However, representation of women among legislators, senior officials and managers remained comparatively low at 13.1 per cent, despite a 10 percentage point improvement since 2006.

Parity in labour-force participation stood at 44.1 per cent in 2026, showing only a marginal improvement over the past two decades.

India performed considerably better in educational attainment, recording 96.6 per cent parity, although the score declined by 0.5 percentage points from last year.

In health and survival, India's parity score improved to 95.6 per cent.

The political empowerment subindex was India's strongest area in 2026, with 24.5 per cent of the gap closed, placing it 67th globally.

India's head-of-state indicator score, which stood at 42.9 per cent in 2006, rose to 72.3 per cent during the index's first decade, reflecting years of female leadership within the indicator's rolling 50-year reference period. The score, however, has declined since 2021 and stood at 40.7 per cent in 2026.

In Parliament, India closed 16.1 per cent of the gender gap in 2026, an overall improvement of seven percentage points since 2006.

At the ministerial level, parity improved from 3.5 per cent in 2006 to 5.9 per cent in 2026, but remained well below the highest score of 30 per cent recorded in 2019.

The WEF said political empowerment had recorded the largest gains globally since 2006, although progress has been reversing since 2016.

Globally, 69.2 per cent of the gender gap has been closed, an improvement of 0.4 percentage points over the past year. The report said full gender parity remained 120 years away.

Women now occupy senior positions in business and government, but remain underrepresented in roles with the greatest economic and political influence. Women account for 19.1 per cent of chief executive officer positions, while only one in 10 ministerial portfolios held by women is considered highly influential.

The report also noted that women accounted for fewer than one in five AI engineers and remained underrepresented at every level of AI firms.

Southern Asia was the lowest-scoring region for economic participation and opportunity.

In its 20th year, the index assessed 145 economies across four dimensions -- economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.

"Twenty years of data show that gender parity is achievable. Economies at every income level have made progress, so the barrier is not a lack of resources," said Saadia Zahidi, managing director of the World Economic Forum.

"Parity is a foundation for growth and competitiveness, but it is not inevitable. To accelerate, governments and employers need to learn from the policies that work and apply them faster. A new economy demands a new approach to talent," she added.

Namibia climbed four places to fourth, making it the highest-ranked country in Sub-Saharan Africa. It was followed by the UK, New Zealand, Sweden, Australia, Germany and Ireland.

Australia entered the top 10 for the first time. Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden have featured in the top 10 in every edition since 2006.

Iceland remained the only country to have closed more than 90 per cent of its gender gap, with a score of 93 per cent.