Global Gender Gap Report 202546Figure 1.12 illustrates how speed of progress reflects differently across the different dimensions of the index, with more dynamic changes in the Economic Participation and Opportunity and Political Empowerment subindexes. In Economic Participation and Opportunity, the fastest group had lower benchmark performances to start from compared to other groups but recorded positive trajectories that reduced their standing distance from 15 to 6 percentage points over time. The second group had the second-lowest departure point in 2006, yet has surpassed all other speed groups to occupy the highest position in the index in 2025. The standstill group has seen their trajectory tilt downwards over time, which negatively impacts their speed of change. In Political Empowerment, it is the fastest group that has made the most progress, displaying an upwards trajectory starting from the lowest average score to the highest in 2025. The second group follows closely behind, with an initial jump in 2014, after which it has climbed progressively upwards. The fourth group has the flattest progression trajectory, devolving from the second-lowest to the lowest average score over 19 editions. The standstill group, in contrast, recovered from an early drop in scores, then sees its trajectory shift negatively compared to last year’s edition. Although Educational Attainment and Health and Survival display high levels of fluctuation over time, there are changes within the space of a decile. All speed groups have managed to improve their educational parity scores over time. However, only the first group has overtaken other groups across editions, boosting their performance and speed of progress. The fifth group has seen the most fluctuation, having to recover twice from downturns in 2011 and 2021. In terms of health parity, most groups have seen their performance decline over time; only the second group has improved its average score since 2021.

GGGR 2025