India's ranking in the Global Gender Gap Index 2024 is 129th out of 146 countries, with 97 per cent of the economies included in the edition having closed over 60 per cent of their gap, as reported by the World Economic Forum. However, Iceland has closed over 90 percent of its gender gap, retaining the top spot. This is due to the decline in educational attainment and political empowerment which will take 134 years to reach full parity.
The report mentions that the gender gap is a significant issue, estimated to take 134 years to achieve full equality, five generations beyond the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal target. India's women earn only Rs 40 for every Rs 100 earned by men, indicating a significant gender pay gap. The country has made progress in closing the gender gap with 64.1 per cent by 2024 but still needs a 6.2 per cent increase to reach 46 per cent to attain the economic parity level.
South Asian countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan have the highest levels of economic gender parity than India, while countries like Pakistan showcased the lowest performance. In global rankings, Bangladesh showed 31.1 per cent, alongside Sudan with 33.7 per cent, Iran with 34.3 per cent, Pakistan with 36 per cent, and Morocco with 60 per cent. Countries with less than 30 per cent gender parity in earned income face challenges in bridging global economic participation, while countries like Liberia with 87.4 per cent, and Botswana with 85.4 per cent show high levels due to strong women's labor force participation.
