China climbs to 96th in gender equality rankings
The World Economic Forum sees progress, but China continues to lag particularly in political representation.
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China ranks 96th out of 145 economies in the new Global Gender Gap Report. According to the World Economic Forum, the country has closed 69.9 per cent of the measured gender gap, but progress is uneven across education, work, health and politics.
China rose seven places compared with the previous edition and returned to the top hundred for the first time since 2016. The World Economic Forum does not measure equality in general, but differences between women and men in four domains: economic participation, education, health and political power.
China's strongest score is in economic participation and opportunity. It achieves 72.3 per cent equality in this area, ranking 57th worldwide. The report also records a score of 98.8 per cent for education and 94.8 per cent for health and survival.
Political representation remains clearly behind. China receives a score of 13.5 per cent in this area and ranks 111th. The report does note long-term improvements in parliamentary representation, but sees little change in women's political power compared with the previous edition.
Chinese state media and government agencies generally emphasise progress in education and labour-force participation. At the same time, the World Economic Forum warns that countries' comparability depends on the data available. Some labour-market indicators are unavailable for China, meaning that its overall score is based on less data.
The ranking is therefore not a complete assessment of the position of women in China. It is primarily a standardised comparison of measurable differences. A higher position does not mean that women have the same opportunities in all regions, sectors or income groups.
The development is relevant to Dutch readers because China is an important trading partner and competitor in the labour market. The figures point to progress in education and economic participation, but also to a persistent gap in political influence. China's rise should therefore not be read as a general breakthrough.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- China ranks 96th out of 145 economies in the WEF report.
- The score is stronger in economic participation and education than in political representation.
- The report has limitations because of missing or delayed data.
Left
Arguments Economic progress is insufficient as long as women have little political power and structural differences in work and pay persist.
Values Equal rights, representation and social justice.
Consequences The rise in the rankings may conceal that women still have less influence over decisions that determine their lives.
Centre
Arguments The figures show both progress and lagging performance. Policymakers should recognise the improvements, but interpret the index cautiously and collect better data.
Values Measurability, institutional improvement and empirical restraint.
Consequences Targeted policies on political participation and reliable statistics may say more than a single overall score.
Right
Arguments The economic and educational progress shows that development and access to work can bring substantial improvements without addressing every difference through quotas.
Values Economic growth, merit and gradual reform.
Consequences A focus on education and work can deliver broad progress, but may leave political power differences in place for longer.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The rank, scores and methodological limitations were checked directly in the WEF report. The text avoids the conclusion that China has achieved gender equality in all areas.
- confirmed China ranks 96th out of 145 economies in 2026. — Mentioned in the Global Gender Gap Report 2026. source
- confirmed China closed 69.9 per cent of the measured gender gap. — Score from the WEF profile for China. source
- confirmed China scores 13.5 per cent on political power and ranks 111th in that area. — Both figures appear in the China section of the report. source
- confirmed Some labour-market indicators for China are missing. — The WEF states that the overall score is therefore based on a smaller set of indicators. source
Editor's note
The rank and scores come from the WEF report. The limitations of the index and the incomplete Chinese labour-market data have been explicitly included.Sources
- Benchmarking gender gaps, 2026 — World Economic Forum
- China returns to top 100 in gender parity ranking — South China Morning Post
- Statistical Monitoring Report of Outline for Women's Development in China — National Bureau of Statistics of China
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „china gendergelijkheid”
- RTL Nieuws — „china gendergelijkheid”
- NOS — „china gendergelijkheid”