Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Government Services
The World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Gender Gap Report has seen Australia rise 11 places in the global rankings to 13th out of 148 countries for gender equality, the highest ever ranking since the Index began in 2006.
This significant jump from last year's ranking of 24th marks the third consecutive increase for Australia since the Albanese Labor Government was elected in 2022.
Australia's ranking had fallen to an all-time low of 50th place under the former Liberal National Government.
The Index shows improvements in Australia's ranking across political empowerment, economic participation, and in educational attainment.
This milestone result is a testament to the work of the Albanese Government to improve outcomes for women and girls - including by boosting pay for female-dominated industries, investing in all levels of education, and investing more than half a billion dollars into women's healthcare.
It also demonstrates the impact of greater representation of women in Cabinet and across the Parliament, which has been a consistent focus for Labor for decades.
While not captured in this report, last month's election has seen the highest ever proportion of women in the government - with 56 per cent of Labor representatives women - and the first ever majority-women Cabinet in Australian history.
The Global Gender Gap Index tracks countries against four key benchmarks: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
The report is available here: Global Gender Gap Report 2025(link is external) .
Quotes attributable to Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher
"This is a fantastic result for Australia and shows what is possible when government takes gender equality seriously.
"When the Albanese Labor Government was first elected in 2022, we said that improving the lives of women and girls was one of our key focuses, and today's result - our best ever - shows we are delivering on that commitment.
"Whether it is investing in women's wages and economic opportunities, investing in sexual and reproductive healthcare, or investing in policies to address women's safety and tackling gender-based violence, our government is backing up words with action.
"However, we know there is always more work to do, and this report will help to inform our work on gender equality over the next three years.
"Achieving a fairer and more equal society doesn't happen overnight, but this result shows that the Albanese Government is shifting the dial in the right direction."
