India Ranks 131 in Global Gender Gap Index

Current Context: On 16 September 2026, the World Economic Forum released the Global Gender Gap Report 2026, in which India retained the 131st position among 145 countries. India’s overall gender-parity score improved marginally to 64.5%, indicating that approximately 35.5% of the measured gender gap remains unresolved. 

Key Points:

• Publishing organisation: World Economic Forum.
• Index coverage: The report assesses gender disparities across four major dimensions.
• Economic participation: India recorded parity of 41.2%, while female labour-force participation stood at approximately 44.1%.
• Educational attainment: India scored 96.6%, supported by near parity in enrolment at different educational levels.
• Health and survival: The country achieved a parity score of approximately 95.6%.
• Political empowerment: India ranked 67th, with a parity score of around 24.5%.
• Long-term progress: India’s overall score has improved by 4.3 percentage points since the index began in 2006.
• South Asian position: India ranked below Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
• Global leader: Iceland secured first place for the 17th consecutive year.
• Other leading countries: Finland and Norway occupied second and third positions, respectively.
• Lowest-ranked country: Chad ranked 145th, followed by Pakistan at 143rd and Iran at 144th.
• Global status: The world has closed approximately 69.2% of its gender gap.
• Estimated timeline: At the current rate, worldwide gender parity remains about 120 years away.

Question:

Q1. Which country topped the Global Gender Gap Index 2026?
a) Iceland
b) Finland
c) Norway
d) Sweden

Answer: a) Iceland continued to lead the global ranking, maintaining its first position for the 17th consecutive year.