Pakistan Ranks Last in Global Gender Gap Report 2025: Urgent Reform Needed Amid Regional Divergence

Islamabad, PK – 12 June 2025 – The World Economic Forum (WEF) has today launched the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 in Geneva, with alarming findings for Pakistan. Ranked 148th out of 148 countries, Pakistan has once again found itself at the bottom of the global gender parity index, having closed only 56.7% of its overall gender gap.

“As Pakistan positions itself for economic revival and global engagement, sidelining half of its population is not a viable strategy,” said Amir Jahangir, CEO of Mishal Pakistan, the Country Partner Institute of the World Economic Forum. “The countries that invest in gender parity will reap long-term economic and societal dividends.” He further said, “Pakistan must urgently adopt a recalibrated gender lens in its national policymaking and institutional practices, establishing a comprehensive framework that fosters appreciation for gender-sensitive governance across both the public and private sectors.” This is not just a developmental imperative but a strategic necessity, as Pakistan now ranks at the bottom of the global gender parity index, reflecting a critical failure in its policy response to gender equity. Without immediate, deliberate, and sustained action, the country risks further marginalizing half its population and undermining its potential for inclusive growth and social cohesion.

In the Global Gender Gap Report 2025, Pakistan’s pillar-wise performance shows minimal change from 2024, underscoring entrenched structural challenges. In Economic Participation and Opportunity, Pakistan remains 143rd, reflecting stagnant female labor force participation, persistent wage disparities, and limited access to leadership roles. On Educational Attainment, the country retains its 139th position, with modest improvements in enrollment overshadowed by significant literacy gaps, particularly among rural women. Health and Survival continues to be the most stable pillar for Pakistan, holding around 132nd, close to global parity in life expectancy and sex ratio at birth.

However, Political Empowerment remains a critical weakness, with Pakistan ranked near 112th, unchanged from 2024, due to persistently low female representation in parliament and executive government. This lack of upward movement across all pillars has led Pakistan to remain at the bottom of the global index, signaling the urgent need for gender-responsive reforms, institutional accountability, and inclusive economic strategies.

Pakistan’s Performance: The Positives and the Pitfalls

✓ Strengths:
Health and Survival (93.6%): Pakistan has maintained relative parity in this dimension, showing resilience in life expectancy and sex ratio at birth compared to global standards.
Educational Attainment (82.3%): Improvement in girls’ enrollment in secondary and tertiary education is notable, though disparities in literacy rates persist.

✗ Weaknesses:
Economic Participation and Opportunity (34.7%): Pakistan is among the bottom five globally. Female labor force participation remains critically low, and the gender wage gap is stark. Representation of women in leadership and managerial roles is minimal.
Political Empowerment (15.6%): Despite having a history of women in top offices, current representation in parliament and ministerial roles is negligible, with no female-led cabinet portfolios.

Why Pakistan Ranks the Lowest: Five Root Causes

– Entrenched Cultural Norms: Patriarchal structures continue to limit women’s mobility, access to jobs, and political participation.
– Low Female Workforce Participation: With less than 25% of women active in the workforce, Pakistan fails to leverage half of its human capital for economic growth.
– Weak Policy Implementation: Despite gender equality laws on paper, enforcement remains absent. Legal protections for working women are poorly implemented.
– Underinvestment in the Care Economy: Lack of affordable childcare and safe public transport restricts women from entering or staying in the workforce.
– Political Underrepresentation: Women make up a marginal fraction of decision-makers, and political parties have failed to promote gender-inclusive leadership pipelines.

A Call to Action: From Parity to Prosperity

The WEF report emphasizes that gender equality is not just a moral imperative—it is an economic strategy. Pakistan must prioritize

– Gender-responsive budgeting across public sectors
– Skills and entrepreneurship investment targeting women
– Safe work environments and public spaces
– Affirmative political participation mechanisms
– Public-private partnerships to boost female economic agency

Next Steps: A National Gender Parity Strategy
Pakistan needs a whole-of-society approach—bringing together government, business, civil society, and media—to initiate a national sprint toward gender parity. This includes robust implementation of SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and alignment with the WEF’s Gender Parity Accelerator Framework. The country also needs to create a framework that can create a healthy competition between entities, including businesses and governments, to champion the gender parity cause at all levels.

Pakistan is the lowest-ranked country globally for gender parity, falling behind peers in the South Asia region and well below the global average of 68.8%. Despite the global trend of slow but positive progress, Pakistan’s stagnation and backsliding in critical areas continue to raise concern.

Pakistan not only ranks lowest in South Asia but is also below all regional and income group averages, despite sharing common demographic and socio-political contexts with many neighboring countries.

Leading the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 are the countries that have made the most significant strides toward gender parity, with Iceland once again securing the top position for the 16th consecutive year, having closed 92.6% of its gender gap. It remains the only country to have crossed the 90% threshold. Finland (87.9%), Norway (86.3%), and New Zealand (82.7%) follow closely, showcasing sustained investments in inclusive governance, education, and economic participation. The United Kingdom rose impressively to 4th place (83.8%), while Moldova (81.3%) made its debut in the top ten. Other high performers include Sweden, Namibia, Germany, and Ireland, all of which have closed over 80% of their gender gaps. These nations reflect a shared commitment to empowering women across political, economic, and social dimensions—demonstrating that deliberate policy, accountability, and cultural openness can collectively accelerate gender parity.

The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 covers 148 countries and benchmarks them across four pillars: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment.

For full access to the Global Gender Gap Report 2025:
https://www.weforum.org/publications/gender-gap-report-2025