Pakistan ranks last in Global Gender Gap Index 2025
Listen to article
Pakistan has been ranked last among 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2025, underscoring persistent gender disparities in economic participation and political representation, despite modest gains in female literacy.
The annual report, released earlier this week, assesses gender parity across four key dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
'Occupying the bottom rank of the index (148), Pakistan sees its overall parity score decline from last year's edition from 57 per cent to 56.7 per cent,' the report stated, marking the second consecutive annual drop in the country's score.
The report recorded limited progress in education, with a 1.5 percentage point improvement in educational attainment, raising parity in that domain to 85.1 per cent. The gain was partly driven by a rise in female literacy, which increased from 46.5 per cent to 48.5 per cent.
Read more: Pakistan ranks second-last in global gender equality index
'Part of the shift is driven by an increase in female literacy rates from 46.5 per cent to 48.5 per cent,' the report said. However, it cautioned that the improvement at the university level was partly due to a decline in male enrolment, rather than a significant rise in female participation.
Pakistan's score in economic participation and opportunity declined by 1.3 percentage points amid widening income and wage gaps. The report cited a marginal increase in income disparity and a four-percentage-point rise in perceived wage inequality.
According to a 2024 World Bank report, women make up just 22.8 per cent of Pakistan's labour force, and their representation in leadership and managerial roles remains low.
Why do we need to measure #gender gaps? Here are 9 questions answered about the Global Gender Gap Report 2025, out now: https://t.co/lRBRR6VUER #gendergap25 pic.twitter.com/7tPyFuhtI2 — World Economic Forum (@wef) June 12, 2025
The country also witnessed a decline in political empowerment. Parity in this category fell from 12.2 per cent in 2024 to 11 per cent in 2025. While women's representation in parliament rose slightly by 1.2 percentage points, the share of women in ministerial positions dropped from 5.9 per cent to zero, the WEF said.
'Overall Pakistan has closed +2.3 of its gender gap since 2006,' the report noted. 'However, this year's results are a second consecutive drop from the economy's best score of 57.7 per cent achieved in 2023.'
Pakistan has consistently ranked near the bottom of the Global Gender Gap Index. The 2025 report highlights the country's continuing struggle to create equitable opportunities for women, particularly in political and economic spheres. While progress in education is encouraging, it remains insufficient to overcome broader systemic inequalities.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
- Business Recorder
In a Pakistan valley, a small revolution among women
KARIMABAD, PAKISTAN: In a sawdust-filled workshop nestled in the Karakoram Mountains, a team of women carpenters chisel away at cabinets – and forge an unlikely career for themselves in Pakistan. Women make up just a fraction of Pakistan's formal workforce. But in a collection of villages sprinkled along the old Silk Road between China and Afghanistan, a group of women-led businesses is defying expectations. 'We have 22 employees and have trained around 100 women,' said Bibi Amina, who launched her carpentry workshop in 2008 at the age of 30. In a collection of villages sprinkled along the old Silk Road between China and Afghanistan, a group of women-led businesses is defying expectations. Photo: AFP Hunza Valley's population of around 50,000, spread across mountains abounding with apricot, cherry, walnut and mulberry orchards, belong to the Ismaili branch of Shiite Islam. The Aga Khan is the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community and is considered a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. He is also a global philanthropist and founder of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which promotes health, education, culture, and economic development in over 30 countries. A blueprint for climate resilience: The impact of AKAH in Northern Pakistan The family opened a girls' school in Hunza in 1946, kickstarting an educational investment that pushed the valley's literacy rate to 97 percent for both men and women. That rate far outstrips the country average of around 68 percent for men and 52.8 percent for women. Only 23 percent of the women in Pakistan were officially part of the labour force as of 2024, according to data from the World Bank. Photo: AFP As a result, attitudes have shifted, and women like Amina are taking expanded roles. 'People thought women were there to wash dishes and do laundry,' Amina said of the generation before her. Trained by the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) to help renovate the ancient Altit Fort, Amina later used her skills to start her own business. Her carpenters are currently at work on a commission from a luxury hotel. Photo: AFP Pioneers Only 23 percent of the women in Pakistan were officially part of the labour force as of 2024, according to data from the World Bank. In rural areas, women rarely take on formal employment but often toil in the fields to support the family's farming income. In a Gallup poll published last year, a third of women respondents said their father or husband forbade them from taking a job, while 43.5 percent said they had given up work to devote themselves to domestic tasks. Fahima Qayyum (L) practices with other players at a football ground in Gilgit, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Photo: AFP Cafe owner Lal Shehzadi spearheaded women's restaurant entrepreneurship in Hunza. She opened her cafe at the top of a winding high street to supplement her husband's small army pension. Sixteen years later, her simple set-up overlooking the valley has become a popular night-time tourist attraction. She serves visitors traditional cuisine, including yak meat, apricot oil and rich mountain cheese. 'At the start, I used to work alone,' she said. 'Now, 11 people work here and most of them are women. And my children are also working here.' Following in Shehzadi's footsteps, Safina quit her job to start her own restaurant around a decade ago. 'No one wanted to help me,' she said. Eventually, she convinced family members to sell two cows and a few goats for the money she needed to launch her business. Now, she earns the equivalent of around $170 a month, more than 15 times her previous income. Farming to football The socio-economic progress of women in Hunza compared to other rural areas of Pakistan has been driven by three factors, according to Sultan Madan, the head of the Karakoram Area Development Organisation and a local historian. 'The main reason is the very high literacy rate,' he told AFP, largely crediting the Aga Khan Foundation for funding training programmes for women. 'Secondly, agriculture was the backbone of the economy in the region, but in Hunza the landholding was meagre and that was why women had to work in other sectors.' Women's increased economic participation has spilled into other areas of life, like sports fields. 'Every village in the valley has a women's soccer team: Gojal, Gulmit, Passu, Khyber, Shimsal,' said Nadia Shams, 17. On a synthetic pitch, she trains with her teammates in jogging pants or shorts, forbidden elsewhere by Pakistan's dress code. Here, one name is on everyone's lips: Malika-e-Noor, the former vice-captain of the national team who scored the winning penalty against the Maldives in the 2010 South Asian Women's Football Championship. Fahima Qayyum was six years old when she witnessed the killer kick. Today, after several international matches, she is recruiting the next generation. 'As a girl, I stress to others the importance of playing, as sport is very good for health,' she told AFP. 'If they play well, they can also get scholarships.'
Express Tribune
14 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Pakistan secures $700m loan for Reko Diq
In a significant win for Pakistan, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank have approved a concessional loan of $700 million for the Reko Diq project, a major mining and resource development initiative. This approval, granted during a board meeting in Washington, is a significant diplomatic victory for Pakistan and a major setback for India, which had actively lobbied against the funding. As a result of this approval, the private sector is expected to invest $2.5 billion in the Reko Diq project, one of Pakistan's most important initiatives. The success in securing this loan is a testament to the effective diplomatic efforts of Pakistan, especially in light of opposition from India. Dr Tauqeer Hussain Shah, advisor to the prime minister, played a key role in this achievement. He spearheaded efforts at the World Bank, successfully lobbying for the loan. His contributions were instrumental in securing this approval, marking a major milestone in the success of the Reko Diq project. This loan approval strengthens Pakistan's economic position and highlights its successful diplomatic maneuvering in securing vital investments for the nation's future. The backing of this large-scale project is particularly significant in light of regional geopolitical tensions, with India actively seeking to block the project's financing. With this decision, Pakistan has taken a crucial step forward in securing the success of the Reko Diq project, which is expected to play a pivotal role in the country's resource development sector.
Express Tribune
14 hours ago
- Express Tribune
IMF positive after trade deals, tariff cuts
The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday that its next global growth forecast in July will take into account both positive and negative trade developments but declined to predict a tariff-driven GDP downgrade similar to that released by the World Bank this week. IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said that since the last release of the Fund's World Economic Outlook in April, there have been some positive developments that could support improved economic activity, including a major tariff reduction between the US and China and an initial trade deal between the US and Britain. "So taken together such announcements combined with the April 9 pause on the high level of tariffs, these could support activity relative to the forecast that we had in April," Kozack told a regular IMF news briefing. "But nonetheless, we do have an outlook for the global economy that remains subject to heightened uncertainty, especially as trade negotiations continue."
