Tajikistan ranks 112th in the gender equality index among 146 countries worldwide

Tajikistan ranks 108th in women’s economic participation, dropping three places compared to last year’s figure.

The World Economic Forum has released another Global Gender Gap Report. In the ranking of 146 countries, Tajikistan occupies the 112th position, slightly worsening its indicators compared to last year. The Global Gender Gap Index analyzes the current state and evolution of gender equality based on four key indicators: economic opportunities, education level, health and life expectancy, and political empowerment. This year, the 18th edition of the World Economic Forum assesses gender equality in 146 countries, which represent two-thirds of the world’s economies.

 Worse in politics, but better in health

In the 2024 Gender Gap Index, Tajikistan has slightly worsened its indicators compared to last year. In the global ranking among 146 countries, it dropped from 111th to 112th place. The Republic is “neighboring” and slightly lags behind countries such as Gambia, Senegal, the Czech Republic, and China, while surpassing Malaysia, Tunisia, Nepal, and Japan.

Tajikistan ranks 108th in women’s economic participation, dropping three places compared to last year’s figure. It has made similar progress in health and life expectancy, ranking 69th. It should be noted that over the past three years, Tajikistan has significantly improved the situation for women in healthcare. In the 2021 ranking, the Republic was in 88th place.

The report also examines other indicators of women’s health. For example, 17 out of 100 women die during childbirth. The total fertility rate is 3.19 births per woman.

Fewer women have experienced gender-based violence during their lifetime. While this figure was just over 20% in the previous four years, it is now 14%. The situation regarding women’s involvement in politics has worsened. Compared to last year’s data, the proportion of women in legislative and managerial positions has decreased – Tajikistan has dropped from 93rd to 101st place.

Who is the leader in Central Asia?

In 2024, Central Asia ranks fifth out of eight regions in the overall Gender Gap Index, slightly lowering its indicators from last year. Among Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan has the highest gender equality indicators (76th place). Next is Kyrgyzstan (90th place), with Uzbekistan slightly worse off (108th place). Turkmenistan is not included in the ranking.

Women’s economic opportunities are best in Kazakhstan (28th place). The situation is worst in Tajikistan (108th place) and Uzbekistan (115th place) – there, men earn at least twice as much as women. Kazakhstan also leads in women’s access to education (36th place), while Tajikistan lags significantly behind all its neighbors (120th place), as well as in women’s higher education coverage (72.7%).

Kyrgyzstan leads in women’s health and life expectancy, not only in the region but also in the overall ranking. Women there live 8-9 years longer than men. Uzbekistan ranks last in the region for this indicator (136th place). Tajikistan is in 96th place in the ranking.

At the same time, Uzbekistan has the best situation among neighbors regarding women’s participation in politics (89th place), while Kazakhstan is worse off (116th place). Tajikistan is in 101st place in the ranking.

Top 10 Equal Rights Countries 

For one and a half decades, Iceland has continued to lead in the Gender Inequality Index. The top 10 also includes six European countries: Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, and Spain. The remaining three spots are held by New Zealand, Nicaragua, and Namibia. The last ten countries are Sudan, Pakistan, Chad, Iran, Guinea, Mali, Congo, Algeria, and Niger. Afghanistan and Russia are not included in the 2024 Index.

As noted in the report, the vector of gender equality is slowly moving forward; however, the pace of this process is insufficient to achieve gender equality by 2030. Full parity between genders will remain unattainable for another five generations. Gender equality is particularly slow in economic and political spheres, as individual country indicators hinder overall progress.

The authors of the report note that achieving gender equality worldwide could become a reality. For this, authorities and businesses need to shift resources and thinking towards a new model of economic thinking, where gender parity is seen as a condition for fair and sustainable growth.

The Global Gender Gap Index is a study launched in 2006 that tracks the progress of many countries in eliminating gender inequality.