Australia has entered the global top 10 for gender equality for the first time, ranking eighth in the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Global Gender Gap Report.
Australia recorded a gender-parity score of 81.9 per cent, rising five places from its position in the previous edition. The 2026 report assesses 145 economies across four areas: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
The World Economic Forum said Australia’s overall parity score increased by 2.7 percentage points from 2025, when it stood at 79.2 per cent.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the result showed Australia was making progress towards a more equal society for women and girls.
“Our efforts are bearing fruit, with Australia now sitting in the top ten countries for gender equality worldwide.”
Australia recorded its strongest improvement in political empowerment, with its score rising from 45.8 per cent to 53.9 per cent. The country achieved full parity at ministerial level and recorded a parliamentary parity score of 85.2 per cent.
The report also ranked Australia among the top 20 economies for economic participation and opportunity, with 77.9 per cent of the gender gap closed in that category.
Educational attainment stood at 99.1 per cent, while health and survival was recorded at 96.5 per cent.
The Albanese Government has attributed Australia’s improvement to measures including increased wages in female-dominated industries, the expansion of Paid Parental Leave and investment in women’s health.
Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said the ranking reflected government policies aimed at improving women’s economic security, health and representation.
The WEF report, however, measures gender parity across a broad range of indicators and does not itself attribute Australia’s ranking to any particular government or policy. Its methodology draws on data from multiple sources, with some indicators subject to data lags.
Globally, the 2026 report found that 69.2 per cent of the gender gap had been closed, with Iceland retaining first place at 93 per cent. Finland ranked second and Norway third, while New Zealand was sixth and Sweden seventh.
The World Economic Forum said global progress remained fragile, with full gender parity still 120 years away at the current rate of progress.
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