Bangladesh Leads Gender Equity in South Asia

When it comes to gender parity among South Asian countries, one country continues to make big strides toward equity. According to the latest Global Gender Gap Report 2023 conducted annually by the World Economic Forum, Bangladesh has achieved a gender parity score of 71.4%, based on ranking criteria that includes economic participation, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. The scores led the country to jump 12 places in the global rankings, up to 59th from 71st in the 2022 index.

The country continually scores high due to its political empowerment scores, ranking seventh in the entire world. In fact, Bangladesh has had a women-led head of state for more than 29 years of the last 50, holding the record for the longest duration in the world.

While South Asia continues to lag behind other regions in the economic participation and opportunity aspects of the index, there are some promising signs of progress. The region rose in this index by 1.4%, which is attributed in large part to Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Those countries all showed positive movement toward parity in both labor-force participation and earned income.

Gender Equity Scores Across South Asia

Bangladesh 71.4%

Bhutan 68.2%

Sri Lanka 66.3%

Nepal 65.9%

Maldives 64.9%

India 64.3%

Pakistan 57.5%

Afghanistan 40.5%