The Global Gender Gap Report

The Global Gender Gap Report 2008 benchmarks 130 countries on four pillars: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment, and health and survival. The report finds that while gaps in health (97% closed) and education (95% closed) are narrow globally, significant disparities remain in economic participation (62% closed) and political empowerment (16% closed). Norway is ranked as the country with the narrowest overall gender gap, while Yemen is the lowest. The report argues that reducing gender inequality is a fundamental cornerstone of economic growth and national competitiveness.

• The Global Gender Gap Index 2008 covers 130 countries, representing over 90% of the world's population.
• Globally, the gender gap is most significantly closed in health outcomes (over 97%) and educational attainment (almost 95%), while economic participation (62%) and political empowerment (16%) remain wide.
• Norway is the highest-ranking country in the 2008 index, having the narrowest gender gap in the world.
• Yemen is the lowest-ranking country, being the only nation in the world to have closed less than 50% of its gender gap.
• Of the 128 countries compared between 2007 and 2008, 87 improved their performance, while 41 showed widening gaps.
• The Nordic countries (Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, and Denmark) are top performers, with all except Denmark closing over 80% of their gender gap.
• Regional performance varies, with Oceania, Western Europe, and North America closing over 70% of the gap, while the Middle East and North Africa region closed approximately 58%.
• The report identifies a correlation between gender equality and a country's level of development and competitiveness.
• Closing the employment gap could significantly boost GDP in developed economies: by as much as 9% in the US, 13% in the Eurozone, and 16% in Japan.
• The Index is designed to measure gaps in access to resources and opportunities rather than absolute levels of development, ensuring it is independent of a country's income level.

APA

Hausmann, R., Tyson, L. D., & Zahidi, S. (2008). The Global Gender Gap Report. World Economic Forum. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2008.pdf

Chicago

Hausmann, Ricardo, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi. The Global Gender Gap Report. World Economic Forum, 2008. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2008.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hausmann |first1=Ricardo |last2=Tyson |first2=Laura D. |last3=Zahidi |first3=Saadia |title=The Global Gender Gap Report |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=2008 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2008.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hausmann2008global, author = {Hausmann, Ricardo and Tyson, Laura D. and Zahidi, Saadia}, title = {{The Global Gender Gap Report}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2008}, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2008.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }