The annual Global Gender Gap Index provides insight into inequalities between women and men in 145 countries, examining economic participation, access to education, political influence, and healthcare and life expectancy. The University of Amsterdam’s Amsterdam Centre for Business Innovation, led by Professor Henk Volberda, is a WEF partner institution and collected the data for the Netherlands.

This year, the Netherlands has fallen 3 places, from 43rd to 46th, showing a significant decline in gender equality compared with other European countries. In the Netherlands, 75.0% of the gender gap has been closed, a decrease of 0.6 percentage points compared with last year. The country has shown a slight improvement in economic participation and equal opportunities, but this is overshadowed by the more substantial progress made by the Scandinavian countries and countries such as the United Kingdom.
The top 10 countries with gender parity are: Iceland, Finland, Norway, Namibia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Sweden, Australia, Germany, and Ireland.

Clear decline

‘Between 2006 and 2016, the Netherlands was almost consistently among the top 15, but it has clearly fallen behind in recent years,’ says Volberda. ‘The Netherlands has therefore changed from being one of the frontrunners in gender equality to a country that ranks considerably lower within the European group. This does not mean that gender equality in the Netherlands is worse in every respect than it was in 2006. It is a relative ranking: other countries have made progress more quickly.’

Volberda advocates a more proactive gender-equality policy in the Netherlands, with clear and measurable targets to bring the country into the top 10. He suggests stricter legislation, norm-setting quotas for public-sector and senior leadership positions, more support for women returning to the labour market, and a more equal division of care responsibilities. In his view, a Ministry of Women’s Affairs should take the lead in this effort.

The global picture

The 20th edition of the Global Gender Gap Report shows that the gap between women and men worldwide has once again narrowed only slightly: 69.2% of the gap has now been closed, an increase of 0.4 percentage points compared with last year. At this rate, it will take at least another 120 years to achieve full equality.

The gap is relatively smallest in access to education, where 96.9% has been closed, and in healthcare and life expectancy, where 96.2% has been closed. In economic participation and opportunity for women, by contrast, 61.7% of the gap has been closed—an increase of just 0.4 percentage points from last year. Political influence remains the area with the greatest disadvantage for women, with only 22.1% of the gap closed.

Key findings from the report

1. The gender gap narrowed only marginally in 2026. At the current pace, it will not be fully closed until 2146.
2. Scandinavian countries dominate the rankings, but the United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland are also in the top 10.
3. The Netherlands has dropped three places to 46th in the Global Gender Gap Index.
4. The Netherlands has shifted from being one of the frontrunners in gender equality to a laggard within the European group.
5. Despite their higher levels of education, women hold only 29.6% of senior leadership positions.
6. Career breaks have a greater negative effect on women’s career progression than on men’s.
7. AI risks reproducing existing inequalities.