World Bank Flags Global Gender Law Enforcement Gap Worldwide

On 24th February 2026, the World Bank Group released its latest ‘Women, Business and the Law 2026’ report, highlighting a significant global gap between laws promoting gender equality and their actual enforcement.

The report underscores that no country currently guarantees all the legal rights necessary for women’s full economic participation.

Key Points

Large Implementation Gap: While many countries have gender-equal laws on paper, enforcement mechanisms remain weak, creating a “shockingly large” divide between legislation and real-world outcomes.
Global Equality Scores: The global index recorded an average score of 67 out of 100 for legal rights, but enforcement dropped to 53, and supportive systems such as policies and institutions scored 47.
Limited Full Equality: Less than 5% of women worldwide live in economies offering near full legal equality, and no country has secured all legal rights required for complete economic participation.
Regional Barriers: Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa face some of the largest legal and institutional barriers, despite rising female workforce participation.
Key Deficient Areas: The report assessed 10 categories- safety, mobility, work, pay, marriage, parenthood, childcare, entrepreneurship, assets and pensions, identifying childcare and safety as the weakest areas globally.
Recent Reforms: Between October 2023 and October 2025, 68 economies implemented 113 legal reforms to expand women’s economic opportunities. Countries showing notable progress include Egypt, Madagascar, Somalia, Oman, Jordan and Kyrgyzstan.