#IWD2024: Jamaica ranks highest in Caribbean on gender equality

Jamaica is the highest-ranked Caribbean country on gender equality, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index 2023 report.

Each year, WEF compiles a report that measures the extent of gender-based gaps among four key dimensions: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment, then gives each country a ranking between 0% (the lowest possible gender equality) and 100% (the highest possible gender equality). The analyses of each country are intended to serve as a basis for designing effective measures for reducing gender gaps.

Top countries globally for gender equality

The top ten countries for gender equality include four Nordic countries: Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden; as well as their European neighbors: Germany, Belgium, and Lithuania; the Asian Pacific country New Zealand; Nicaragua in Latin America; and Namibia in Africa.

For over 10 years, Iceland has retained its number one spot. For 2023, it received a score of 91%.

The Caribbean and Latin America rankings

Jamaica ranks second in the world in economic participation and opportunities for women but below #50 in education and political representation. Under the health and survival sub-category, it ranks at #94.

Jamaica is ranked 24th globally from a list of 146 countries, with a 77% rating. The island is first among Caribbean countries, but when combining Latin America and Caribbean countries, it ranks third, below Nicaragua (81%) and Costa Rica (79%).

Progress in Latin America and the Caribbean

With incremental progress towards gender parity since 2017, Latin America and the Caribbean has bridged 74.3% of its overall gender gap. After Europe and North America, the region has the third-highest level of parity, the report noted.

"Since the last edition, seven out of 21 countries (including relatively populous countries like Colombia, Chile, Honduras, and Brazil) have improved their gender parity scores by at least 0.5 percentage points, while five countries have seen a decline in their parity scores by at least 0.5 percentage points. This has led to a 1.7 percentage-point increase in overall gender parity since last year.

"Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Jamaica register the highest parity scores in this region, and Belize, Paraguay, and Guatemala the lowest. At the current rate of progress, Latin America and the Caribbean will take 53 years to attain full gender parity," the report said.