The 15 countries with the biggest gender pay gaps

The UK came 41st out of the 135 participating countries
PA
Bobbie Edsor17 October 2017

It will take 170 years to close the gender pay gap around the world completely, according to the World Economic Forum.

In the UK, female managers earn £12,000 less than their male counterparts, according to new research published in September.

An infographic from business e-card specialist Ecard Shack shows which countries score best for gender equality, in order to predict which nations will be next to close the gender pay gap.

Using data from the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report, Business Insider has pulled together a list of the countries around the world with the largest gender pay gaps.

The Global Gender Gap Report compares attitudes towards gender equality around the world, considering factors such as educational opportunities available to each gender, life expectancy, literacy rates, the number of women in professional positions, and in positions of power in each country.

The WEF surveyed men and women in 135 countries on the extent to which wages for women are equal to those of men in their country, asking them to use a scale of one to seven. Seven indicated a fully equal salary — thus a non-existent pay gap — while one declared that pay was not at all equal, with a woman's pay totalling significantly less than a man's in a similar job role.

Rwanda ranked first in the world for residents' opinions towards the gender pay gap, scoring 6.14 out of seven. The UK came 41st out of the 135 participating countries, scoring 4.72, while the US scored 4.57, coming in at 66th place.

Scroll on to discover the 15 countries with the biggest gender pay gap according to its residents, ranked in ascending order.

The list also includes each country's overall gender quality score, which indicates how much each country has worked towards closing its gender pay gap — with a score of 1 indicating full gender parity — though this figure had no impact on our ranking.

=14. Slovakia — Ranking 94th overall thanks to the equal level of education attained by both boys and girls, Slovakia only scored 3.75 out of seven for its gender pay gap.

Gender pay gap score: 3.75

Rank: 121st

Overall score: 0.679

AFP/Getty Images

=14. Bangladesh — Bangladesh ranked poorly for both gender wage equality (3.75) female literacy (58%), reaching 122nd and 114th place in these respective fields.

Gender pay gap score: 3.75

Rank: 122nd

Overall score: 0.698

13. Morocco — Morocco ranked 137th out of 144 countries for gender equality overall and scored 3.74 for wage equality, thus ranking amongst the worst nations for both.

Gender pay gap score: 3.74

Rank: 123rd

Overall score: 0.597

AFP/Getty Images

12. Poland — Despite ranking 38th for gender equality overall, Poland places only 124th for its gender pay gap, scoring 3.72.

Gender pay gap score: 3.72

Rank: 124th

Overall score: 0.727

11. South Korea — The South Korean workforce reportedly includes equal numbers of men and women. However, wage equality scores only 3.67 out of seven.

Gender pay gap score: 3.67

Rank: 125th

Overall score: 0.649

AFP/Getty Images

=9. Argentina — Argentina ranks in the top quarter of countries for gender equality overall, but places 126th based solely on its gender pay gap, scoring 3.58.

Gender pay gap score: 3.58

Rank: 126th

Overall score: 0.735

=9. Italy — 74% of women in Italy enrol in higher education compared to just 58% of men. Nevertheless, Italy's gender pay gap is joint ninth worst in the world, scoring 3.58.

Gender pay gap score: 3.58

Rank: 127th

Overall score: 0.719

AFP/Getty Images

8. Mexico — Low levels of female participation in the workforce in Mexico has amounted to a large gender pay gap, scoring a mere 3.55 out of seven.

Gender pay gap score: 3.55

Rank: 128th

Overall score: 0.700

7. Brazil — With a low percentage of women in jobs of significant power, such as in parliament or ministerial positions, Brazil only scrapes a wage equality score of 3.48 and came in 129th place for its gender pay gap.

Gender pay gap score: 3.48

Rank: 129th

Overall score: 0.687

AFP/Getty Images

6. Hungary — According to the report's findings, the average Hungarian woman gets paid 60% less than the average male due to fewer women taking senior or managerial positions in the workplace. As a result, Hungry scores a mere 3.46 out of seven for its gender pay gap.

Gender pay gap score: 3.46

Rank: 130th

Overall score: 0.669

5. Peru — With only one woman in Peruvian parliament to every three men, Peru scores just 3.43 for wage equality.

Gender pay gap score: 3.43

Rank: 131st

Overall score: 0.687

AFP/Getty Images

4. Bolivia — Bolivia scores a respectable 0.746 for gender parity, placing 23rd overall, despite only climbing to 132nd place for its gender wage gap with a score of 3.42.

Gender pay gap: 3.42

Rank: 132nd

Overall score: 0.746

3. Chile — In Chile, 16% of young women aren't employed or in education, compared to 8% of young men, which could be a factor contributing to the low gender wage gap score of 3.38.

Gender pay gap score: 3.38

Rank: 133rd

Overall score: 0.699

AFP/Getty Images

2. France — France scores 17th best in the world for gender equality and is reportedly 75.5% of the way towards gender parity. Nevertheless, residents have still rated their country as second worst in the world for its gender pay gap with a score of 3.32.

Gender pay gap score: 3.32

Rank: 134th

Overall score: 0.755

1. Angola — Angola has the most significant gender pay gap in the world, scoring just 2.83 out of seven. With few women in managerial positions in the workplace or in parliament, the Angolan workplace is largely male-dominated, hugely affecting the average woman's wage as a result.

Gender pay gap score: 2.83

Rank: 135th

Overall score: 0.643

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