Visualizing the Current State of the Global Gender Gap
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Visualizing the Current State of the Global Gender Gap

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Map showing gender gaps in each region

The Current State of the Global Gender Gap

As a global society, we still have a long way to go before we reach gender equality around the world.

According to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest Global Gender Gap Report, it could take up to 135.6 years to close the global gender gap, based on the current rate of change.

This graphic by Sebastian Gräff gives a breakdown of gender equality worldwide, showing how long it will take before each region reaches gender parity.

How Gender Gap is Measured

In its 15th edition, the Global Gender Gap Report analyzes gender-based discrepancies across 156 different countries. To gauge each region’s gender gap, the report digs into four key areas:

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

Each subindex is given its own score, then an average across the four pillars is calculated to give each country a final score between zero (exceptionally unequal) and one (completely equal).

Regional Breakdown

Out of all the regions, Western Europe has the smallest gender gap, with a score of 0.78. At this rate, the gender gap in Western Europe could be closed in approximately 52.1 years, more than 83 years faster than the global estimate.

RankRegionOverall Gender Gap Index (2021)
1Western Europe0.77
2North America0.76
3Latin America and the Caribbean0.71
4Eastern Europe and Central Asia0.71
5East Asia and the Pacific0.69
6Sub-Saharan Africa0.67
7South Asia0.62
8Middle East and North Africa0.61
Global Average0.69

Western Europe scores particularly high in educational attainment (1.0) and health and survival (0.97). Here’s a look at the category breakdown for each region:

RegionEconomic Participation and OpportunityEducational AttainmentHealth and SurvivalPolitical Empowerment
Western Europe0.701.000.970.44
North America0.751.000.970.33
Latin America and the Caribbean0.641.000.980.27
Eastern Europe and Central Asia0.741.000.980.14
East Asia and the Pacific0.700.980.950.14
Sub-Saharan Africa0.660.850.970.21
South Asia0.340.930.940.28
Middle East and North Africa0.410.940.970.12
Global Average0.620.960.970.22

But it might be surprising to see that political empowerment in Western Europe received a score of only 0.44. This is higher than the global average for political empowerment of 0.21, but still indicative of a large gender gap in this area.

Globally, political empowerment tended to receive the lowest scores in the report, as women are grossly underrepresented in politics. A study by the Council of Foreign Relations revealed that out of 195 different countries’ national cabinets, only 14 countries had at least 50% of their ministerial positions held by women.

Economic participation and opportunity is the second weakest category, with a global average score of 0.58. A good example of how this gap manifests itself is in entrepreneurship and business, where women still struggle to find investors and gain access to venture capital. Further, on average, women continue to make less money than men. According to the UN, women across the globe make approximately 77 cents for every dollar earned by men.

The Economic Benefit of Gender Equality

Research shows that empowering women in the workforce is in everyone’s best interest. Closing the gender gap in the global workforce could lead to a boost of more than $28 trillion to the global economy.

Yet across the globe, COVID-19 has created new challenges that have hindered our progress towards gender equality. This is partly because some of the sectors that have been impacted the most by COVID-19 restrictions, such as hospitality, food services, and personal care, are largely dominated by female workers.

As we continue to recover from the impact of COVID-19, world leaders will face numerous policy challenges, including how to build back better, creating more opportunities for women to thrive in the global economy.

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Politics

Ranked: The World’s Most and Least Popular Leaders in 2025

U.S. President Trump posted a 48% approval rating in April, down from 52% in January.

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This graphic shows the world's most and least popular leaders in major economies as of April 2025.

The World’s Most and Least Popular Leaders in 2025

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Global approval ratings for major world leaders continue to shift amid political transitions, elections, and economic uncertainty.

Since we last published a similar graphic in January, the Trump administration’s policies—raising tariffs on trade partners and cracking down on illegal immigration—have also sparked discussions about the role national leaders will play in negotiating with the Republican president.

This updated graphic shows approval ratings for leaders in major economies as of April 2025, based on figures from Morning Consult. Ratings reflect a seven-day moving average of adult residents in each country. Sample sizes vary by country. Figures were collected between April 1–7, 2025, and have been rounded for simplicity.

Modi Still on Top — But With a Slight Dip

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains the world’s most approved leader, holding a strong 73% approval rating, despite a slight drop from 75% in January. His disapproval rate rose modestly from 19% to 21%, but he continues to outperform his global peers by a wide margin.

In second place is Argentina’s President Javier Milei, who, with his fiscal austerity policies and alignment with President Trump, has the approval of 61% of Argentines.

LeaderCountryApproveNeutralDisapprove
Narendra ModiIndia73%6%21%
Javier MileiArgentina61%5%34%
Claudia SheinbaumMexico60%8%32%
Karin Keller-SutterSwitzerland56%19%26%
Anthony AlbaneseAustralia54%11%35%
Mark CarneyCanada50%20%30%
Donald TrumpUnited States48%6%46%
Donald TuskPoland43%10%47%
Jonas Gahr StøreNorway39%14%47%
Giorgia MeloniItaly38%6%56%
Dick SchoofNetherlands36%20%43%
Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaBrazil35%7%58%
Christian StockerAustria34%21%44%
Ulf KristerssonSweden34%11%55%
Bart de WeverBelgium34%16%50%
Pedro SánchezSpain34%6%60%
Recep Tayyip ErdoğanTurkey33%18%48%
Cyril RamaphosaSouth Africa32%10%57%
Keir StarmerUnited Kingdom28%11%61%
Olaf ScholzGermany21%7%71%
Emmanuel MacronFrance19%7%73%
Shigeru IshibaJapan19%15%66%
Yoon Suk YeolKorea17%7%76%
Petr FialaCzech Republic17%8%75%

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum ranks third, with a solid 60% approval rating—just a few points behind her predecessor and political mentor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who left office with a 64% approval rating.

Carney Replaces Trudeau with Higher Ratings

In Canada, Mark Carney became Prime Minister following Justin Trudeau’s resignation and now holds a 50% approval rating—a notable increase from Trudeau’s 35% at the end of his government. Carney’s higher popularity was a decisive factor in securing a Liberal Party victory over the Conservatives in the April 2025 federal election.

U.S. President Donald Trump posted a 48% approval rating in April, down from 52% in January.

Fragility in Europe and Asia

Rising cost-of-living pressures, stalled reforms, and voter fatigue continue to weigh on incumbents across Europe and Asia.

At least seven leaders now face disapproval ratings above 60%, including:

  • Emmanuel Macron (France)
  • Pedro Sánchez (Spain)
  • Olaf Scholz (Germany)
  • Keir Starmer (United Kingdom)
  • Shigeru Ishiba (Japan)
  • Petr Fiala (Czech Republic)
  • Yoon Suk Yeol (South Korea)

Yoon currently holds the highest disapproval rating globally at 71%. South Korea faces political instability ahead of a June 3 snap election, called after Yoon was impeached by parliament and removed from office by the Constitutional Court over his attempt to impose martial law in December.

Learn More on the Voronoi App 

Looking for more political and data-driven insights? Check out: Top U.S. Industries by Lobbying Spend in 2023.

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