The EU Gender Equality Index 2020, by country

The Gender Equality Index benchmarks national gender gaps on economic, political, education, and health-based criteria among the countries of the European Union. A score of 0 indicates that there is no gender equality, while 100 points indicates that gender equality is achieved. In 2020, the leading country was Sweden with a score of 83.8 points. Denmark and France were the second and third most gender equal countries, respectively. Considering the other side of the spectrum, Greece only scored 52.2 points, way below the EU average of 67.9 points. Other countries in the bottom of the ranking were Hungary and Romania.

Equality in health

Not only does the index measure gender equality on national levels, it also breaks down gender equality into different dimensions. With an index score of 88 points, health was the most equal dimension among men and women within the EU, followed by money and work. To the contrary, power was considered the most unequal dimension along with knowledge and time management.

The Global Gender Gap Index

In a global perspective Iceland is considered the most gender equal country. Dominating this list is another four Nordic countries: Norway, Finland, and Sweden, while Nicaragua takes a fifth place. As of 2020, it was estimated that Western Europe had closed 76.7 percent of its gender gap, making it the most successful region in the world. Nevertheless, experts predict that gender parity will not be achieved in the region for another 54 years.