India Gets Poor 101st Rank On Global Gender Gap Index

WEF said that increased political participation has helped narrow the global gender gap across the world.

A total of 86 countries have improved their rankings since last year, while Iceland has maintained narrowest gender gap for fifth year running.

Globally, progress is being made in narrowing the gender gap for economic equality, but women's presence is economic leadership positions is still limited in both developing and developed countries alike.

"Countries will need to start thinking of human capital very differently, including how they integrate women into leadership roles. This shift in mindset and practice is not a goal for the future, it is an imperative today," WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab said.

"Both within countries and between countries are two distinct tracks to economic gender equality, with education serving as the accelerator," said Saadia Zahidi, co-author of the Report and Head of the Women Leaders and Gender Parity Programme at WEF.

"For countries that provide this basic investment, women's integration in the workforce is the next frontier of change. For those that have not invested in women's education, addressing this obstacle is critical to women's lives as well as the strength of economies," Zahidi added.