Only 4% of Women Globally Enjoy Near Full Legal Equality – World Bank

A new report by the World Bank Group has revealed that just 4 percent of women worldwide live in economies where near full legal equality exists, highlighting deep structural barriers limiting women’s participation in economic growth.

The findings, contained in the latest Women, Business and the Law report, show that while many countries have made progress in passing gender-equal laws, enforcement remains significantly weak. On average, laws designed to ensure equal economic opportunities for women are only about half-enforced globally, undermining their intended impact.

According to the report, even if all existing laws were fully implemented, women would still enjoy only about two-thirds of the legal rights available to men. This underscores persistent legal and institutional gaps that continue to hinder inclusive economic development.

Chief Economist of the World Bank Group, Indermit Gill, noted that although countries are improving on paper, the real challenge lies in implementation. “The average country scores 67 out of 100 on the adequacy of laws to enable economic equality between women and men. But enforcement drops that score to 53, and the systems required to implement those rights fall further to 47. These gaps represent lost economic potential,” he said.

The report evaluates women’s economic participation across ten critical areas, including workplace safety, childcare access, entrepreneurship, employment protections, asset ownership, and retirement security. Among these, safety from violence emerged as a major global weakness.

Norman Loayza, Director of the World Bank’s Policy Indicators Group, emphasized that safety is foundational to equality. “True equality begins with safety. Whether at home, at work, or in public, women deserve protection to thrive. Yet globally, we are falling short, with enforcement of safety laws failing 80 percent of the time,” he stated.

Entrepreneurship also remains constrained, with limited access to credit for women despite legal provisions allowing equal business ownership. Similarly, inadequate childcare systems continue to restrict women’s ability to participate fully in the workforce. Less than half of the 190 economies surveyed provide financial or tax support for childcare, and in low-income countries, only 1 percent of such support mechanisms exist.

Despite these challenges, progress is evident. Over the past two years, 68 economies implemented 113 reforms aimed at improving women’s economic inclusion. Sub-Saharan Africa led with 33 reforms, including policy changes in countries like Madagascar and Somalia to remove restrictions on women’s employment in key sectors.

Lead author of the report, Tea Trumbic, stressed the urgency of action, noting that 1.2 billion young people, half of them women will enter the global workforce in the next decade. She described gender equality not just as a social imperative, but also as “an economic must-have.”

The report concludes that bridging the gap between legislation and enforcement is critical for unlocking global growth, boosting productivity, and ensuring sustainable development.