As the pace of technological, political, and environmental change accelerates globally, the need for inclusive and resilient systems has never been more pressing. Gender parity is one such imperative – a matter of fairness and human rights, and also a key driver of economic resilience and social progress. The recently released 'Global Gender Gap Report 2025' by the World Economic Forum, offers a timely benchmark of global progress towards gender parity.

This blog provides an overview of the 2025 report, including what it measures, key global findings, how Australia and the Asia-Pacific region are faring, and ways to accelerate progress globally. We also include recent data on public board appointments from the Victorian Public Sector Commission (VPSC) to highlight local developments in gender parity within the public sector.

What the report measures

Now in its 19th edition, the Global Gender Gap Report annually assesses gender-based disparities across four core dimensions:

1. Economic Participation and Opportunity
2. Educational Attainment
3. Health and Survival
4. Political Empowerment.

This year’s report covers 148 countries, offering the most comprehensive dataset to date. Importantly, the index focuses on measuring gender gaps rather than levels of achievement, comparing outcomes for women and men. Each country is scored on a scale from 0 to 1, where 1 represents full parity, and results are expressed as the  percentage of the gender gap that has been closed. The report also provides a regional breakdown and tracks long-term trends for a core group of 100 economies included in every edition since 2006, helping to identity both ongoing patterns and notable shifts.

Key Global Findings

In 2025, the global gender gap is 68.8% closed – a marginal improvement of 0.3 percent points from 2024. However, this small annual gain is overshadowed by the sobering estimate that full parity will take 123 years if current trends continue.

The most persistent and significant disparities remain in:

• Political Empowerment, where only 22.9% of the gap is closed. Women continue to be underrepresented in ministerial roles and parliamentary positions globally.
• Economic Participation and Opportunity, where the gap is 61.0% closed. Despite gains in female workforce participation in some sectors, leadership representation and income equality remain limited.

In contrast, Educational Attainment (95.1%) and Health and Survival (96.2%) are reaching full parity. However, these gains are not necessarily translating into leadership roles or economic equity – particularly for women with tertiary qualifications.

The top 10 countries in the 2025 index have all closed more than 80% of their gender gaps. Iceland remains in the lead (92.6%), followed by Finland (87.9%), Norway (86.3%), the United Kingdom (83.8%) and New Zealand (82.7%). Notably, no country has yet achieved full parity. Pakistan (56.7%), Sudan (57%), and Chad (57.1%) are the three lowest ranking countries.

The economies showing the greatest progress in closing their gaps since 2006 include Bangladesh, Mexico, Ethiopia, Ecuador, and Saudi Arabia, illustrating that significant improvement is possible regardless of starting point or income level.

Overall gender gap results by region:

1. Northern America: 75.8%
2. Europe: 75.1%
3. Latin America and the Caribbean: 74.5%
4. Central Asia: 69.8%
5. Eastern Asia and the Pacific: 69.4%
6. Sub-Saharan Africa: 68.0%
7. Southern Asia: 64.6%
8. Middle East and Northern Africa: 61.7%

Australia’s performance

Australia (79.2%) ranks 13th globally, climbing 11 positions since 2024 (78%, 24th). The improvement reflects gains across most indexes and subindexes, though room for improvement remains:

• Economic Participation and Opportunity: 75.4%, 32nd (2024: 73.6%, 42nd)
• Educational Attainment: 99.0%, 79th (99.1%; 84th)
• Health and Survival: 96.5%, 96th (96.8%, 88th)
• Political Empowerment: 45.8%, 19th (42.4%, 28th)

Like many high-income economies, Australia exhibits a common pattern: high rates of educational parity (literacy rate, 100%, 1st; enrolment in primary and tertiary education, both 100%, 1st), but a weaker translation of those outcomes into economic leadership and political representation. This is reflected in several subindexes, including:

• Women in parliament: 64.1%, 30th
• Legislators, and senior officials and managers: 71.6%, 36th

Wage equality for similar work (66.9%, 58th) continues to indicate a significant disparity in earnings.

Asia-Pacific overview

Progress across the Asia-Pacific is mixed. The region, grouped under “Eastern Asia and the Pacific” in the report, and consisting of 19 countries, ranks fifth among the eight global regions, with 69.4% of the gender gap closed. Key takeaways include:

• Highest ranking countries: New Zealand (82.7%), Australia (79.2%), Philippines (78.1%), Singapore (74.8%), and Mongolia (72.8%).
• Lowest ranking countries: Papua New Guinea (63.8%), Fiji (64.7%), and Japan (66.6%).
• New Zealand (5th globally) remains the only economy in the region to make the Top 10.
• Economic Participation is the region’s strongest area, with a regional average of 71.6% parity – second only to Northern America.
• Political Empowerment is the weakest area, with only 15.3% of the gap closed. A number of countries, including Japan, Brunei, and Papua New Guinea, have very low scores on this indicator.
• Educational Attainment shows signs of regression in some countries. Laos, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea report female enrolment rates in primary education under 90%.

While several economies have made gains in workforce participation, these are not matched by increases in political leadership or higher education parity across the board.

Key areas for action

The report highlights priorities for governments, organisations, and institutions worldwide:

• Strengthen policy implementation: While gender-equal legislation exists in many economies, gaps remain in implementation. Effective enforcement and institutional support are critical to translating legal provisions into practice.
• Expand care infrastructure: Career breaks related to caregiving continue to affect women’s workforce continuity and advancement. Strengthening care systems can improve participation and support economic planning.
• Support leadership progression: Despite high levels of education, women remain underrepresented in senior roles. Addressing structural barriers across mid-career stages is essential for balanced leadership pathways.
• Align skills and employment outcomes: Women increasingly hold tertiary qualifications but encounter barriers to economic participation. Labour market strategies need to better reflect and leverage available talent.
• Increase sectoral representation: Women remain overrepresented in lower-paying, care-focused industries and underrepresented in high-growth sectors such as technology and infrastructure. More balanced participation across sectors can improve equity and innovation.
• Broaden political leadership: Women continue to be underrepresented in decision-making roles, particularly in economic and infrastructure portfolios. Greater inclusion is necessary to shape responsive public policy.
• Apply a gender lens to economic change: Global trade shifts and economic disruptions often affect women disproportionately. Gender-responsive planning can help build more inclusive and resilient economies.

Victoria

In Victoria, gender parity on public boards has improved in recent years. According to the VPSC, women held 55% of positions on major public boards in 2022, up from 39% in 2015. These boards exclude smaller trusts, school councils, and most advisory bodies.

However, women remain under-represented on major boards in several ministerial portfolio groups, including Planning (36%), Transport and Ports (42%), Premier and Cabinet (45%), and Treasury and Finance (48%), Agriculture (48%), and Racing, Tourism, Sport and Major Events (48%).

Across all public boards (excluding school councils), women’s representation increased from 36% in 2018 to 40% in 2022, but lower representation persists in four key portfolio groups – Cemeteries (31%), Planning (37%), Transport and Ports (37%), and Crown Land Committees of Management (37%). These categories make up 45% of all boards and account for 34% of all board members, many of which are located in rural areas and filled by long-standing community members.

While progress is evident, these figures suggest that targeted efforts are still needed to improve gender balance across specific sectors and regions of Victoria’s public sector leadership.

Conclusion

The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 shows that while steady progress has been made in education and health, closing the gaps in economic opportunity and political leadership requires urgent and targeted action.

For Australia and its neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region, the challenge lies in translating strong educational outcomes into equitable economic and political participation. As the global economy continues to evolve, advancing gender parity remains essential – not only for equity and justice, but also for fostering innovation, resilience, and social cohesion.

Resources

• Global Gender Gap Report 2025 (World Economic Forum)
• Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality (The Global Goals)

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CourtHeath acknowledges the Traditional Aboriginal Owners of Country throughout Victoria and pays respect to Elders past and present, and to the ongoing living culture of Aboriginal people.

A participant in the UN Global Compact, CourtHeath seeks to raise awareness about the sustainable development goals – including SDG 5: Gender Equality, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls – and the principles of the Global Compact with business and government organisations in Victoria.

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IMAGE: Used under licence from shutterstock.com

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