Global gender parity is still 123 years away, new data warns
The World Economic Forum's 2025 report finds the world has closed 68.8% of its gender gap — progress, but at a pace that leaves full parity more than a century off.
Deborah Chidinma
News Anchor, China
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The World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025 puts the world's gender gap at 68.8% closed across 148 economies — the strongest annual gain since the pandemic, yet still far from parity.
At the current rate, the report estimates it will take 123 years to reach full parity. Women have near-equal access to health (96.2% closed) and education (95.1%), but economic participation (61.0%) and political empowerment (22.9%) lag badly.
The economic case is stark: the report notes that closing gaps in womens economic participation could lift global GDP substantially, and that gender-balanced leadership tracks with stronger performance.
Encouragingly, some lower-income countries are closing their gaps faster than wealthier ones — evidence that determined policy, not just prosperity, drives change.
For diaspora women, who often shoulder migration's burdens while building new lives, equality is both a daily struggle and a shared goal. DCTV will keep amplifying those voices.
