Finland ranks 8th in EU Gender Equality Index

Finland has ranked 8th in the Gender Equality Index for the European Union (EU), which measured gender equality in various domains, such as work, health and power, said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in a press release.

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) published its latest Index measuring gender equality on Tuesday based on the data from 2023 and 2024.

Sweden secured top place in the list with 73.7 points, followed by France with 73.4 and Denmark with 71.8, Spain with 70.9 points, the Netherlands with 69.5 points, Ireland with 69.0 points and Belgium with 68.5 points.

Finland ranked 8th with 68.3 for the third consecutive year.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,” said Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, who is responsible for gender equality issues.

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.