WEF Report: Sub-Saharan Africa's Gender Gap Takes 102 Years

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2026 indicates that Sub-Saharan Africa has closed 68.8% of its overall gender gap, but at the current rate, it is projected to take another 102 years to achieve full gender parity. The region ranks sixth globally, with significant disparities among economies.

Namibia has closed 84.5% of its gender gap, placing it fourth globally, while Chad has only closed 57.8%, making it one of the lowest-ranked economies. Since 2006, Sub-Saharan Africa’s overall gender parity score has improved by 6.0 percentage points, with the largest gains in Economic Participation and Opportunity, which has increased by 8.0 percentage points.

This improvement includes a 28.7 percentage-point rise in the representation of women among legislators, senior officials, and managers. Saadia Zahidi, managing director at the WEF, stated that gender parity is achievable and emphasized the need for governments and employers to implement effective policies more rapidly.