A new report by UN Women and UNDP reveals that fewer than 1% of women and girls globally live in countries with high women’s empowerment and a small gender gap.
The report uses two indices—the Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI) and the Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI)—to analyse data from 114 countries on the status of women’s empowerment and gender equality across the world.
The Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI) focuses solely on women, measuring their power and freedoms to make choices and seize opportunities in life. The Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI) evaluates the status of women relative to men in core dimensions of human development and exposes gaps in parity between women and men.
According to the study, over 90% of women and girls — 3.1 billion— live in countries characterized by low or middle women’s empowerment and low or middle performance in achieving gender parity.
Conversely, 8% of the female population resides in countries with low or medium women’s empowerment but high gender parity, and only 1% of women and girls live in countries with both high women’s empowerment and high gender parity. The only countries in this category are: Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
Chart adapted from figure 3.1 in the report.
Read more:
- The paths to equal: Twin indices on women’s empowerment and gender equality, UN Women and UNDP