According to the Global Gender Gap Index released by the World Economic Forum today, India has slipped two places to the 129th position, while Iceland retained its top spot. Within South Asia, India ranked fifth after Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan, with Pakistan ranked last.

Despite the drop, India showed strong gender parity in secondary education enrollment and political empowerment, securing the 10th position for the number of years with female/male heads of state in the last 50 years. However, India’s overall gender gap closure stands at 64.1 per cent in 2024, a slight decline from 64.2 per cent last year.