The Global Gender Gap Report 2017 has been published by the World Economic Forum. The report ranks 144 countries on the gap between women and men in four areas: economic participation and opportunity (salaries, participation and leadership), educational attainment (access to basic and high levels of education), health and survival (life expectancy and sex ratio), and political empowerment (representation in decision-making structures). While over one-half of the countries have seen their score improve in the past 12 months, the report finds a widening of the gap for the first time since its first publication in 2006. Overall, 68% of the world’s gender gap has been closed and at the current rate it will take 100 years to be closed. Six countries of the top 10 are Council of Europe member states, with Iceland remaining the world’s most gender-equal country for nine years in a row. Western Europe remains the highest-performing region in the Index with an average remaining gender gap of 25% and  Eastern Europe and Central Asia has closed on average 71% of its gender gap. While no country has fully closed the gender gap in economic participation and opportunity, political empowerment has the widest gender gap.

The Head of Education, Gender and Work at the World Economic Forum reminded that “gender equality is both a moral and economic imperative. Some countries understand this and they are now seeing dividends from the proactive measures they have taken to address their gender gaps.”

Link to the Global Gender Gap Report 2017.