Kinshasa: The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released its Global Gender Gap Report 2025, revealing that seven African countries are among the ten lowest-ranked nations worldwide in terms of gender parity. In this latest edition, Pakistan sits at the very bottom - 148th out of 148 economies covered, with a gender parity score of 56.7 percent. Just above it are Sudan (57.0 percent, 147th), Chad (57.1 percent, 146th), and Iran (58.3 percent, 145th). Other African countries in the bottom 10 include Guinea (59.5 percent, 144th), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (60.1 percent, 143rd), Niger (61.3 percent, 142nd), Algeria (61.4 percent, 141st), and Mali (61.7 percent, 140th).

According to Global Voices, Liberia (86.5 percent), Eswatini (85.6 percent), Zambia, and Nigeria (76.2 percent) also rank among the top 25 globally in this economic category, at 2nd, 3rd, and 24th, respectively, while South Africa places 98th. Conversely, Sudan (31.3 percent) and Egypt (40.6 percent) are among the bottom five globally, showcasing low earned-income ratios and minimal representation of women in leadership roles.

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks eighth in educational attainment with a score of 85.6 percent, marking an improvement of 5.2 percentage points since 2006. This improvement is largely driven by enhanced enrolment parity at all levels of education, with women surpassing men in tertiary enrolment rates. Botswana, Lesotho, and Namibia are among the 41 countries globally that have achieved full parity in educational attainment.

In the health and survival subindex, Cape Verde, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, and Uganda lead globally with a parity score of 98 percent. However, Liberia (95.5 percent) and Algeria (95.4 percent) are among the bottom 10 globally on this metric. On political empowerment, Sub-Saharan Africa ranks fifth globally, scoring 22.2 percent. Ethiopia leads the continent in this subindex, placing 12th worldwide with 48.9 percent. By contrast, Nigeria (3.6 percent), Eswatini (3.6 percent), and Sudan (3.0 percent) ranked among the lowest globally.

Notably, Rwanda remains the only African economy to have achieved full parliamentary gender parity, with women holding 50 percent or more of legislative seats. South Africa and Ethiopia have also reached gender parity in their ministerial cabinets. Across the continent, women now occupy 40.2 percent of ministerial positions and 37.7 percent of parliamentary seats.

Despite these challenges, some African countries are making strides. Benin recorded the most significant improvement on the continent, gaining 4.6 percentage points and climbing 21 places to reach the 113th position. Zambia also made notable progress, jumping 13 places to 79th. However, not all trends are positive, as Togo and Sierra Leone declined by 5.3 and 3.1 percentage points, respectively.

Globally, the gender gap has slightly narrowed from 68.4 percent to 68.8 percent in 2025, primarily driven by improvements in Political Empowerment and Economic Participation and Opportunity. Iceland continues to lead the Global Gender Gap Index, holding the top position for 16 consecutive years, and remains the only economy to have closed more than 90 percent of its gender gap since 2022. The report highlights that no economy has yet achieved full gender parity, and at the current pace, it will take 123 years to reach it globally.