Global Gender Gap Report 202542The Global Gender Gap Report is the longest- standing index for gender parity, offering a unique overview of national, regional and global evolution across the four dimensions measured by the index. With a time series spanning 19 editions, the report can trace the extent of progress achieved to date by a group of 100 economies that have been featured in the index since 2006. In this exploration, the report finds that in just under two decades, 99 of these 100 economies have improved their overall gender parity scores – gaining an average 6 percentage points from their initial baseline score. Figure 1.10 illustrates that while both the higher-performing and lower-performing economies have remained relatively stable, those in between show more dynamic trajectories. The heatmap illustrates the numerous fluctuations experienced by economies over the past 19 years. While most economies have achieved overall upward trajectories, the trajectories have not been consistent across economiesl. Economies like Bangladesh, Iceland, United Arab Emirates, Chile, Ecuador and Mexico have improved their scores the most over the 19 editions, while North Macedonia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Sweden, Kazakhstan, and Lesotho display the lowest total gains over time. Within the latter group, Sri Lanka is the sole economy to have regressed from its 2006 baseline (-7.4 percentage points). This suggests that collective and coordinated progress has been possible under a global consensus to achieve gender equality by 2030. As a result, gender parity has increased by +4.8 percentage points since 2006, and access to economic and political opportunity has expanded over time. Gender parity has risen significantly in the world’s senior economic leadership (+17.5 percentage points), in higher education (+16.1 percentage points), in governing cabinets (+12.6 percentage points) and in legislative bodies (+14.7 percentage points). However, economies have been following and continue to follow different trajectories towards global parity. Not every advance has been sustainable over time, and the pace at which economies move can be affected by numerous externalities. To assess the speed of change that economies have experienced over the past 19 editions, the report groups economies with similar rates of advancement, as illustrated in Table 1.5, and analyses their evolution in terms of trends. Speed of progress 1.8

GGGR 2025