Number of years until gender gaps are closed worldwide 2021, by region

Progress towards gender parity is proceeding at different speeds across geographic areas. As of 2021, it was estimated that gender parity would be achieved in Western Europe in 52.1 years. In East Asia and the Pacific, however, gender parity was not forecast to be reached for another 165 years. At the moment, Western Europe has the smallest gender gap worldwide. The Global Gender Index benchmarks national gender gaps on economic, political, education, and health-based criteria. In 2021, the leading country was Iceland .