Japan's gender gap index ranks 117th, lowest in G7

[London Current Affairs] On the 16th, the World Economic Forum (WEF) announced the 2026 edition of the ``Gender Gap Index'', which shows the level of gender equality in countries around the world. Japan's overall ranking was 117th out of 145 countries surveyed. Although the country moved up one place from the previous year, it remained at the bottom of the Group of Seven developed countries (G7).

The ranking is based on an index of equality in four areas: politics, economy, education, and health. The index assumes a state of complete equality between men and women as 100%. Japan's comprehensive index was 67.0%, a slight improvement from the previous year (66.6%). The "Politics" field increased by 2 points to 10.5%. The appointment of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi contributed positively, as the ratio of women in parliament and cabinet positions, as well as the number of years the head of state has been in office, is reflected.

On the other hand, the "economy" category, which takes into account factors such as labor participation rate and income disparity, was 60.9%, down from the previous year (61.3%).

Iceland ranks first overall for the 17th consecutive year. The top three countries are unchanged from last year, followed by Finland and Norway. Namibia moved up four places to fourth place.