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3. 134 years to go- in achieving gender equality- World Bank

The World Economic Forum recently estimated that with current rates of improvement, full gender
parity will be reached in 134 years, or around the year 2158.

The theme of the International Women’s Day 2025 is “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality.
Empowerment.” The theme underlines the importance of empowering the next generation as catalysts
for lasting change. Empowering youth, particularly young women and adolescent girls is central to the
vision of a future where no one – irrespective of gender – is left behind.

The World Development Indicators database of the World Bank provides detailed analysis of different
dimensions of gender parity, how much (or little) progress has been made, and whether differences
exist across regions, for instance. The charts below highlight two key areas where progress has been
made over the past decades, but where very large gaps remain.

For instance, the share of seats in national parliaments held by women has more than doubled in the
period from 1997 to 2023. Still, only about 1 in 4 seats (27 %) were held by women in 2023 and women
took up at least half the seats of parliament in only six countries; Rwanda, Cuba, Nicaragua, Andorra,
Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates. According to UN Women, it will take another 40 years to reach
gender parity in national legislative bodies given current trajectories.

Figure 6: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%)

Source- World Development Indicators Page | 12

March 2025