South Korea Ranks 101st Out of 145 Countries in Gender Equality, Behind China and Ahead of Japan

South Korea remained in the lower tier of the World Economic Forum's annual gender equality rankings this year, placing 101st out of 145 countries.

According to the 2026 Global Gender Gap Report released by the WEF on the 16th (local time), South Korea's gender gap index was tallied at 0.693.

The index ranges closer to 1, indicating a higher level of gender equality.

South Korea ranked 101st among the 145 countries evaluated, the same as last year.

South Korea's ranking rose from 118th out of 144 countries in 2017 to 94th out of 146 countries in 2024, but it has failed to break out of the lower rankings.

South Korea ranked lower than countries such as China (0.699, 96th), the United Arab Emirates (0.702, 91st), Vietnam (0.707, 84th), and Bangladesh (0.712, 79th).

On the other hand, countries ranking lower than South Korea included Cambodia (0.680, 113th), Japan (0.670, 117th), Türkiye (0.649, 126th), and India (0.645, 131th).

By sector in the gender gap index, South Korea recorded relatively low scores in economic participation and opportunity (0.608) and educational attainment (0.984), ranking 120th and 97th, respectively.

It ranked 34th in health and survival (0.976) and 80th in political empowerment (0.203).

At the very top of the list, Iceland (0.930) claimed the number one spot for the 17th consecutive year.

Finland (0.872) took second place for the third consecutive year, followed by Norway (0.857), Namibia (0.845), the United Kingdom (0.842), and New Zealand (0.828).

The bottom of the rankings included Chad (0.578, 145th), Iran (0.585, 144th), Pakistan (0.595, 143th), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (0.595, 142th), and Algeria (0.618, 141th).

The WEF observed that while the global gender gap is gradually closing, it will take another 120 years at the current pace to achieve full gender equality.

Bloomberg reported that while this is a significant improvement compared to the estimate of 170 years measured a decade ago, it means that no one alive today is likely to experience full gender equality.

Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director at the WEF, emphasized, "Gender equality is entirely achievable," adding, "To accelerate change, governments and businesses must learn from proven policies and implement them more swiftly."

(Photo: Screenshot from the World Economic Forum report, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.