India has dropped two places to 129th in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap index, according to the latest rankings released on June 12. Iceland maintained its top spot in the global rankings.

Among South Asian nations, India ranks fifth, with Pakistan trailing behind among neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan.

Announcing the results on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the WEF highlighted that there has been only a slight improvement in the global gender gap. "The @wef's Global #GenderGap24 report is now live. It shows only a slight improvement in the global gap, with parity still five generations away at current rates of progress. However, in a historical election year, improving the #political participation of #women could have a significant impact," the organization noted.

Globally, Sudan secured the lowest position among 146 economies, while Pakistan dropped three places to 145th this year.

India is among the countries with the lowest levels of economic equality, alongside Bangladesh, Sudan, Iran, Pakistan, and Morocco, registering less than 30% gender parity in estimated earned income.

The report highlighted declines in 'Educational Attainment' and 'Political Empowerment' parameters, with India slipping two spots from last year's 127th rank.

However, India showed strong gender parity in secondary education enrolment and performed well in the political empowerment of women, securing the 65th rank globally.

India also ranked 10th in parity in the number of years with female/male heads of state over the last 50 years.

The report acknowledged improvements in 'Economic Participation' and 'Opportunity' scores, with India's economic parity scores showing upward trends over the past four years.

"Despite some bright spots, the slow and incremental gains highlighted in this year's Global Gender Gap Report underscore the urgent need for a renewed global commitment to achieving gender parity, particularly in economic and political spheres," said Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director at the WEF.

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