Pakistan Hits Rock Bottom in Global Gender Gap Index 2025! Ranks dead last — 148 out of 148 — with gender parity sliding for a second year in a row.
Pakistan has landed at the very bottom of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2025, ranking 148th out of 148 countries. The country’s gender parity score has dipped again, down to 56.7% — a small but telling fall from last year’s 57%.
Since peaking at 57.7% in 2023, Pakistan’s score has been on a downward spiral. The index evaluates nations across four fronts: Economic Participation, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. While Pakistan remained last, its position slipped by three spots compared to last year’s 145th out of 146.
Iceland continues to top the chart globally, while Bangladesh leads in South Asia at 24th, with India trailing at 131st.
There’s a tiny glimmer: Pakistan’s educational parity rose by 1.5 points to 85.1%, thanks to a slight increase in female literacy (from 46.5% to 48.5%). But this progress partly masks a troubling drop in male enrolment at higher education levels. Pakistan ranks 137th in education, and its best subindex is Political Empowerment at 118th — though even that saw a decline from 12.2% to 11%. The country also remains among the few nations with an all-male cabinet.
On the bright side, Pakistan scores 95.9% in Health and Survival, but economic participation paints a bleaker picture at just 34.7%. Wage gaps and income inequality have widened further since last year.
Globally, the gender gap across 148 countries averages 68.8% — a slight rise — but Pakistan’s deep-rooted challenges leave it trailing the world. As WEF’s Saadia Zahidi puts it, gender parity is not just a moral cause; it’s a game-changing strategy for economies looking to thrive in turbulent times. Yet Pakistan remains far from tapping into that potential.