UNDP Human Development Report Office · Gender Inequality Index
Gender Inequality Index by country
How much human development is lost to inequality between women and men?
Of the 172 countries compared in 2023, Denmark had the lowest reading, 0.003, and Yemen had the highest reading, 0.838. In the middle country the figure was 0.352. Among the 80 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 0.430 to 0.223.
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Part ofHealth & WellbeingDevelopment & Human CapitalGender & Equality
Gender Inequality Index · 2023
Context statistic
Lowest of 172Denmark
0.003012023 · UNDP Human Development Report Office’s rank
Who leads
The three countries at the lowest end of 172 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3Photo: User:Pieter Kuiper · Public domain, greyscale
02Every measured country
Gender Inequality Index on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a lower value — the better end.
- 0.514–0.838
- 0.408–0.512
- 0.262–0.403
- 0.107–0.258
- 0.003–0.103
- No reading in 2023
- Europe
0.075
the middle country, of 38 measured · 49 members
Denmark0.003
Romania0.227Lowest and highest reading in Europe.
- Asia
0.291
the middle country, of 45 measured · 52 members
Singapore0.031
Yemen0.838Lowest and highest reading in Asia.
- Americas
0.358
the middle country, of 32 measured · 48 members
Canada0.052
Haiti0.618Lowest and highest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
0.430
the middle country, of 8 measured · 21 members
Australia0.056
Papua New Guinea0.584Lowest and highest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
0.524
the middle country, of 49 measured · 55 members
Tunisia0.238
Nigeria0.677Lowest and highest reading in Africa.
- Every region
21 sub-regions, lowest middle country first
- Western Europe
0.033
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Switzerland0.010
Germany0.057Lowest and highest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
0.039
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Denmark0.003
Latvia0.117Lowest and highest reading in Northern Europe.
- Southern Europe
0.105
the middle country, of 12 measured · 17 members
Slovenia0.042
Bosnia and Herzegovina0.157Lowest and highest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
0.169
the middle country, of 9 measured · 10 members
Belarus0.080Romania0.227Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Western Asia
0.228
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
United Arab Emirates0.040Yemen0.838Lowest and highest reading in Western Asia.
- Caribbean
0.311
the middle country, of 10 measured · 24 members
Grenada0.226Haiti0.618Lowest and highest reading in Caribbean.
- South-eastern Asia
0.351
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Singapore0.031
Cambodia0.506Lowest and highest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- South America
0.391
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Chile0.102
Venezuela0.512Lowest and highest reading in South America.
- Central America
0.391
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica0.217
Guatemala0.480Lowest and highest reading in Central America.
- Northern Africa
0.418
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Tunisia0.238
Sudan0.588Lowest and highest reading in Northern Africa.
- Southern Asia
0.482
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Bhutan0.278
Afghanistan0.661Lowest and highest reading in Southern Asia.
- Southern Africa
0.484
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa0.388
Lesotho0.534Lowest and highest reading in Southern Africa.
- Eastern Africa
0.504
the middle country, of 15 measured · 19 members
Mauritius0.352
Somalia0.675Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Middle Africa
0.558
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe0.492
Chad0.670Lowest and highest reading in Middle Africa.
- Western Africa
0.583
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Cabo Verde0.298Nigeria0.677Lowest and highest reading in Western Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia0.056
New Zealand0.082Lowest and highest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Central Asia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
Kazakhstan0.182
Kyrgyzstan0.340Lowest and highest reading in Central Asia.
- Eastern Asia
4 of 8 measured — too few for a middle: China, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea.
South Korea0.038
Mongolia0.284Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Fiji0.350Papua New Guinea0.584Lowest and highest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada0.052
United States0.169Lowest and highest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
2 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Samoa, Tonga.
Samoa0.416
Tonga0.444Lowest and highest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
172 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 0.352; a quarter are above 0.491, and a quarter below 0.163. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 172 ever measured
Every country
In order, lowest value first. “=” marks a rank shared with another country. Read the direction carefully: a lower score is better, and rank 1 is the LEAST unequal country. Sorted the other way round, the table would name the world’s most equal country its most unequal.
Showing 25 of 172 countries
Values for 2023. The change column compares 2023 with 2022 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2023 · 34 reference years
Over time
Each point is one reference year from 1990. Coverage grows from 80 countries to 172 as the underlying health and labour data fills in.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 80 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 172 | 0.352 | 0.163 – 0.491 | 0.223 |
| 2022 | 172 | 0.356 | 0.154 – 0.493 | 0.222 |
| 2021 | 171 | 0.356 | 0.165 – 0.496 | 0.229 |
| 2020 | 169 | 0.362 | 0.162 – 0.497 | 0.237 |
| 2019 | 169 | 0.362 | 0.164 – 0.501 | 0.236 |
| 2018 | 167 | 0.365 | 0.176 – 0.508 | 0.242 |
| 2017 | 163 | 0.361 | 0.184 – 0.513 | 0.256 |
| 2016 | 162 | 0.370 | 0.193 – 0.512 | 0.274 |
| 2015 | 160 | 0.381 | 0.205 – 0.531 | 0.288 |
| 2014 | 157 | 0.384 | 0.202 – 0.533 | 0.292 |
| 2013 | 155 | 0.382 | 0.195 – 0.529 | 0.303 |
| 2012 | 154 | 0.385 | 0.212 – 0.537 | 0.313 |
| 2011 | 154 | 0.404 | 0.205 – 0.544 | 0.323 |
| 2010 | 154 | 0.408 | 0.209 – 0.545 | 0.325 |
| 2009 | 148 | 0.402 | 0.208 – 0.545 | 0.321 |
| 2008 | 148 | 0.402 | 0.220 – 0.545 | 0.331 |
| 2007 | 147 | 0.394 | 0.219 – 0.547 | 0.333 |
| 2006 | 146 | 0.408 | 0.228 – 0.562 | 0.342 |
| 2005 | 143 | 0.425 | 0.221 – 0.572 | 0.343 |
| 2004 | 138 | 0.432 | 0.212 – 0.574 | 0.349 |
| 2003 | 134 | 0.434 | 0.230 – 0.577 | 0.361 |
| 2002 | 130 | 0.437 | 0.233 – 0.581 | 0.359 |
| 2001 | 128 | 0.438 | 0.246 – 0.588 | 0.368 |
| 2000 | 125 | 0.439 | 0.265 – 0.581 | 0.374 |
| 1999 | 112 | 0.441 | 0.239 – 0.583 | 0.376 |
| 1998 | 107 | 0.440 | 0.244 – 0.578 | 0.397 |
| 1997 | 102 | 0.453 | 0.251 – 0.576 | 0.407 |
| 1996 | 101 | 0.457 | 0.253 – 0.579 | 0.413 |
| 1995 | 101 | 0.458 | 0.252 – 0.586 | 0.425 |
| 1994 | 87 | 0.435 | 0.250 – 0.568 | 0.424 |
| 1993 | 84 | 0.432 | 0.255 – 0.585 | 0.423 |
| 1992 | 80 | 0.428 | 0.254 – 0.569 | 0.428 |
| 1991 | 80 | 0.424 | 0.256 – 0.576 | 0.424 |
| 1990 | 80 | 0.430 | 0.257 – 0.576 | 0.430 |
062022 → 2023
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Benin0.640 → 0.573 · 166th → 153rd−0.067
Sierra Leone0.611 → 0.566 · 162nd → 152nd−0.045- Tonga0.483 → 0.444 · 122nd → 115th−0.039
- Papua New Guinea0.608 → 0.584 · 159th → 156th−0.024
India0.427 → 0.403 · 107th → 102nd−0.024
Worsened most
before → after
Kuwait0.138 → 0.188 · 41st → 51st+0.050- Fiji0.314 → 0.350 · 80th → 85th+0.036
- Tunisia0.206 → 0.238 · 53rd → 62nd+0.032
- Cambodia0.489 → 0.506 · 126th → 136th+0.017
Antigua and Barbuda0.224 → 0.240 · 60th → 63rd+0.016
172 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023.
07Across every edition
Gender Inequality Index in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
0.840
GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality)
Lowest reading on record
0.003
GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality)
Biggest improvement between editions
−0.474
0.649 → 0.175
Biggest decline between editions
+0.335
0.431 → 0.766
Most improved since first measured
−0.724
0.764 → 0.040
At the top most often
20 of 34
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About Gender Inequality Index
UNDP’s Gender Inequality Index measures the human development a country loses to the gap between women and men, across reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. It runs from 0, full equality, to 1, maximum inequality — so here, lower is better.
What the number is: GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality).
What it does not measure
It covers reproductive health, representation and labour-market participation only; unpaid care work, violence against women and pay gaps are outside it.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Health & Wellbeing and Development & Human Capital and Gender & Equality, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Health & WellbeingDevelopment & Human CapitalGender & EqualityWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where Gender Inequality Index is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Maternal Mortality RatioKeyMMEIG · 172 countries in commonρ 0.93
- Stillbirth RateUN IGME · 172 countries in commonρ 0.93
- Under-Five Mortality RateKeyUN IGME · 172 countries in commonρ 0.92
Moves against
Where Gender Inequality Index is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 157 countries in commonρ −0.94
- Human Development IndexKeyUNDP Human Development Report Office · 172 countries in commonρ −0.93
- ND-GAIN Country IndexNotre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame · 172 countries in commonρ −0.93
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 377 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
11Questions
Gender Inequality Index: questions and answers
Which country has the lowest Gender Inequality Index?
Denmark, at 0.003, among the 172 countries compared in 2023.
Which country has the highest Gender Inequality Index?
Yemen, at 0.838, among the 172 countries compared in 2023.
How many countries does the Gender Inequality Index cover?
172 in 2023. The number measured varies from 80 to 172 between editions.
What is the world average Gender Inequality Index?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 172 compared in 2023, the figure was 0.352.
Is this UNDP Human Development Report Office’s own ranking?
Yes. The rank shown is the one UNDP Human Development Report Office publishes.
How often is the Gender Inequality Index published?
This site holds 34 reference years, 1990–2023, all recalculated in UNDP Human Development Report Office’s 2025 report on one method — not 34 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UNDP Human Development Report Office, under CC BY 3.0 IGO. From the 2025 Human Development Report, which recalculates every year on one current method. UNDP states an official rank for 2023 only; the other 33 years are ordered here by score, after that ordering was verified against all 172 of UNDP’s own 2023 ranks. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Gender Inequality Index — UNDP Human Development Report Office
From the 2025 Human Development Report, which recalculates every year on one current method. UNDP states an official rank for 2023 only; the other 33 years are ordered here by score, after that ordering was verified against all 172 of UNDP’s own 2023 ranks.
Newest edition
Report year 2023Data year 2023
Cite the source as: UNDP. Human Development Report. New York: United Nations Development Programme.
Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO, checked 2026-08-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- The rank is UNDP Human Development Report Office’s own, as published.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Denmark — User:Aconcagua, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Norway — Ximonic , Simo Räsänen, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sweden — User:Pieter Kuiper, Public domain
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Gender Inequality Index by country: Gender Inequality Index, data from UNDP Human Development Report Office. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/gender-inequality