Finally at the bottom: Pakistan ranks last in Global Gender Gap Report 2025

WEB DESK: After being consistently in the bottom countries since the last few years, Pakistan has now been ranked 148th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2025, with a gender parity score of 56.7percent — its highest since 2006 but still the lowest globally. The report highlights stagnation or regression across key areas:

• Economic participation declined (1.3 percentage points), with persistent wage gaps and low female workforce representation (18.3percent).
• Education saw slight improvement (85.1percent parity) due to rising female literacy (46.5percent to 48.5 percent), but male enrollment drops skewed the data.
• Political empowerment plummeted (11percent parity) as Pakistan now has zero women ministers, joining all-male cabinets like Saudi Arabia’s alongside Azerbaijan, Hungary, and Vanuatu

While Pakistan has made +2.3% progress since 2006, it lags behind conflict-affected nations like Sudan and trails behind Iran as well.

WEF Managing Director Saadia Zahidi stressed the report’s critical timing, stating: “At this pivotal moment of technological disruption, geopolitical tensions, and economic volatility, gender equality has become both a moral imperative and an economic necessity.” She reiterated that nations fully utilising their human capital will be best equipped to drive transformation and prosperity. “Yet most countries,” Zahidi noted, “are still failing to harness this growth potential.”

Top 10 countries are Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Nicaragua, Rwanda, New Zealand, Philippines, Ireland, and Namibia.

Globally, gender parity stands at 68.8percent, with full equality projected in 123 years. Iceland leads (92.6percent), while Pakistan’s regression yet again reflects systemic failures in leveraging women’s potential for growth.