The Supreme Council for Women (SCW) has celebrated Bahrain’s significant progress in the 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, released by the World Economic Forum, as a strong international endorsement of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s continuous efforts to empower women and promote gender equality.
Lulwa Saleh Al Awadhi, SCW secretary general, noted that Bahrain advanced 12 places globally, now ranking 104th out of 148 countries, with its score improving from 66.6 percent in 2024 to 68.4 percent in 2025. The Kingdom also secured the second position regionally among Gulf and Arab countries, following the UAE.
Al Awadhi emphasized that this progress reflects Bahrain’s comprehensive national strategies and the steadfast support of the Kingdom’s leadership, particularly the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the guidance of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the SCW.
High representation of women ministers
Bahrain ranked first in the Gulf in critical areas such as economic participation and opportunity, income equality, and the percentage of women ministers, which currently stands at 21.7 percent. These results, she pointed out, highlight the effectiveness of national policies aimed at enhancing women’s representation in leadership and ensuring equal access to opportunities within the workforce.
The Secretary General attributed these achievements to the implementation of the National Gender Balance Model and other targeted initiatives, which align with Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 and the National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women 2025–2026.
She further noted that the report acknowledges Bahrain as one of the leading countries in the MENA region regarding economic inclusion and opportunities for women, reinforcing the Kingdom’s commitment to UN Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality.
Perfect score for women’s pay and pensions
Bahrain has achieved a significant 30.6 percent increase in the WBL 2.0 index compared to 2018. The Women, Business and the Law 2024 (WBL 2024) report, issued by the World Bank, covered 190 economies and evaluated laws and regulations that influence women’s economic empowerment.
Bahrain’s efforts to empower women economically have yielded positive results, earning the Kingdom an advanced position according to the report.
The WBL 2024 report highlighted that Bahrain scored a perfect 100 out of 100 when it comes to laws affecting women’s pay and the size of a woman’s pension. The pay indicator saw the highest increase at 100 percent, while the workplace and pension indicators rose by 50 percent. The marriage and entrepreneurship indicators also increased, by 20 percent and 25 percent respectively.
