Finland ranks eighth in EU Gender Equality Index
Finland has ranked 8th in the Gender Equality Index for the European Union (EU). The Index measured gender equality in various domains, such as work, health and power. The data for the most recent Index is mainly from 2023 and 2024.
The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) released its latest Index measuring gender equality on 2 December. The Index’s domains, indicators and sources have been updated since the previous edition in 2024. This is the most extensive revision since 2013, when the Index was first published.
The Index measures gender equality in six core domains: power, knowledge, work, health, money and time. A score of 100 would mean full gender equality.
EU progress remains slow
The EU’s Gender Equality Index now stands at 63.4 points. That is an increase of 3.5 points since 2020 and 10.5 points since 2013. EIGE estimates that at the current pace of around 0.7 points per year, full equality would take at least 50 years to achieve.
Sweden tops the ranking with 73.7 points, followed by France with 73.4 and Denmark with 71.8. Finland ranked 8th with 68.3 points, behind Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium. Luxembourg is 9th.
All nine leading countries score above the EU average. The order of the top seven countries has changed since last year, and the eight best performers are within just over five points of each other. At the bottom of the ranking are Czechia, Hungary and Cyprus.
Finland performs best in work and power
Finland ranks 8th for the third year running. Although Finland’s score has risen steadily, its position has slipped since the early years of measurement. This is explained by the slow pace of progress overall. At the same time, countries now ranked above Finland, such as France, Spain and Ireland, have made significant advances in recent years.
Finland’s strongest domain is work, where it ranks 4th in the EU despite labour market segregation. Finland leads the EU in work participation.
The biggest improvement has been in power, which has gained 7.6 points since 2020. For example, Finland has the highest presence of women in senior political roles. Women hold 62 per cent of ministerial positions, which is the highest share in the EU.
Segregation in education affects employment
Finland has most room for improvement in the domains of knowledge and time, where it ranks 22nd. The knowledge score largely reflects strong segregation in fields of study, which carries over into employment.
In health, Finland has slipped slightly: the score is down by 0.8 points due to a decline in the subdomain of health status.
“These results show that equality does not improve by itself. It requires determined policies and structural reforms. Finland is a model country for equality in many respects and others follow our example, but we too have our stumbling blocks. Segregation in education and work runs deep. We need to break down gendered choices from early childhood education onwards and strengthen equality in all areas of life. Only then can we ensure that Finland remains a trailblazer for equality,” says Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, who is responsible for gender equality issues.
Gender Equality Index
The Gender Equality Index can be used to compare changes in gender equality between EU countries at different times. It has been published since 2013. The Index measures gaps between women and men and the overall level of gender equality. The Index provides information on challenges and positive developments related to gender equality, also for decision-making purposes.
This year’s edition is the first to use the revised methodology. EIGE has applied the new approach to previous years’ data, making it possible to track long-term trends in the current report despite the update.
In addition to index results, this year’s report examines gender stereotypes and their impact for the first time.
- Gender Equality Index 2024 (European Union)
- Gender Equality Index 2024 (Finland)
- EIGE’s news item about the Index
Inquiries:
Tanja Auvinen, Director, Gender Equality Unit, Tel. + 358 295 163 715
Eeva Raevaara, Ministerial Adviser, Gender Equality Unit, Tel. +358 295 163 205
Eemil Nuuttila, Special Adviser to the minister responsible for gender equality issues, Tel. +358 295 250 101
The email addresses are in the format: [email protected]