With a score of 96.9%, North America ranks 5th Ranking 昀椀fth out of eight regions, Southern Asia has out of eight regions on the Health and Survival closed 96% of the gender gap on the Educational subindex. The region has seen a 1 percentage- Attainment subindex. India, Sri Lanka and Maldives point decline in parity in health since 2013. For have the highest regional parity scores, while. example, parity for healthy life expectancy, at 1.03, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan is more than just Middle East and North Africa and have achieved less than 95% parity. Afghanistan Southern Asia. Women’s healthy life expectancy has is a negative outlier, having closed only 48.1% of declined more than that of men since 2013 in both the gender gap. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka Canada and the United States, further contributing and India are either at parity or close to parity in to the reduction in parity on this subindex. enrolment in secondary education. On enrolment in tertiary education – barring Afghanistan, Bangladesh The decline in the overall regional gender and Pakistan – all countries are at full parity, though parity score can be partially attributed to the levels are low for both men and women. 7.7 percentage-point decline on the Political Empowerment subindex, which currently stands at Southern Asia has the second-lowest regional 26.1%. Both the United States and Canada have parity score on the Health and Survival subindex, increased the share of parliamentary positions at 95.3%. Based on the constant sample of held by women. However, the measured share countries covered by the index since 2006, that of women ministers has dropped signi昀椀cantly – is a 1.1 percentage-point improvement since the particularly in the United States, where the share last edition. Pakistan, India, the Maldives and declined from 46.2% to 33.3% – which has affected Nepal have improved by varying degrees. All four the overall regional score on this subindex. This countries have bettered their sex ratios at birth, with is partly explained by a stricter de昀椀nition of what Pakistan and India making the most improvement. quali昀椀es as a ministerial position being applied in No country except Sri Lanka has attained full parity the source database produced by UN Women. See in healthy life expectancy. Appendix B for more detail. Similar to other regions, the widest gender gap on the index is on the Political Empowerment Southern Asia subindex. Behind Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America, Southern Asia’s is the fourth-highest score among the eight regions, Southern Asia has achieved 63.4% gender parity, at 25.1% parity. Based on the constant sample of the second-lowest score of the eight regions. The countries, this is the only subindex for this region score has risen by 1.1 percentage points since the that has experienced a setback: there has been a last edition on the basis of the constant sample of 1% reduction in parity since the last edition. Only countries covered since 2006, which can be partially the Maldives, Bangladesh and Nepal improved their attributed to the rise in scores of populous countries scores. Parity has backslid in Iran, Sri Lanka and such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Along with Afghanistan, as the share of ministerial positions held Bhutan, these are the countries in this region that by women has dropped in these countries since have seen an improvement of 0.5 percentage points 2022. Further, Nepal and Afghanistan have seen or more in their scores since the last edition. On the negative changes in parity in parliamentary positions, other hand, parity has backslid by 0.5 percentage while other countries have not seen much change. points or more in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Nepal. Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka are the best- performing countries in the region, while Pakistan Sub-Saharan Africa and Afghanistan are at the bottom of both the regional and global ranking tables. At the current rate of progress, full parity will be achieved in 149 years. Sub-Saharan Africa’s parity score is the sixth- highest among the eight regions at 68.2%, ranking Compared to other regions, Southern Asia remains above Southern Asia and the Middle East and the furthest away from parity on the Economic North Africa. Progress in the region has been Participation and Opportunity subindex, having uneven. Namibia, Rwanda and South Africa, along closed 37.2% of the gap. However, based on the with 13 other countries, have closed more than constant sample of countries covered since 2006, 70% of the overall gender gap. The Democratic there has been an improvement of 1.4 percentage Republic of the Congo, Mali and Chad are the points since the last edition. This can be partially lowest-performing countries, with scores below attributed to the progress of Pakistan, India and 62%. And while there has been progress of Bangladesh. All three have advanced towards 0.5 percentage points or more in 17 out of 36 parity on the labour-force participation rate and countries, scores for 17 countries have seen decline estimated earned income indicators. On the other of 0.5 percentage points or more since the last hand, parity has receded in the Maldives and edition. Based on the constant sample, this marks a Nepal. Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives have the marginal improvement of 0.1 percentage points. At region’s highest parity scores on the Economic the current rate of progress, it will take 102 years to Participation and Opportunity subindex, while close the gender gap in Sub-Saharan Africa. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the countries that lag the most behind. Global Gender Gap Report 2023 24