The Republic of Moldova has reached a historic milestone, ranking seventh globally in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2025—its first time ever in the top 10.
This remarkable achievement places Moldova among the world’s leaders in gender equality, ahead of advanced economies such as Germany, Ireland, and Sweden. Moldova and the United Kingdom are this year’s new entrants into the top 10, underlining strong national progress in narrowing the gender gap.
The report shows that Moldova has closed 81.3 per cent of its overall gender gap, with a score increase of +0.023 points compared to 2024.
The country’s most significant improvement since the last edition is in the area of Political Empowerment, where Moldova gained +7.5 percentage points, reaching a parity score of 42.5 per cent in 2025. Since the index was first published in 2006, Moldova has more than tripled its score in this category, driven by increasing representation of women in political leadership and decision-making roles.
This ranking reflects Moldova’s long-term commitment to building a more inclusive society, with equal opportunities across education, the workforce, health, and governance. It also reinforces the government’s efforts and civil society’s role in advancing gender parity and empowering women at all levels of public and economic life.
Moldova’s Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Alexei Buzu, commended the country’s progress in ensuring gender equality. “We’re building a more inclusive Moldova by expanding employment services, renovating nurseries and kindergartens, supporting women-led businesses, improving access to childcare leave, strengthening violence prevention efforts, and increasing the number of women in law enforcement.”
As of January 2025, women hold 40 per cent of ministerial positions in Moldova, reflecting significant progress toward gender parity in government leadership, well above the global average of 22.9 per cent (UN Women & IPU, 2025).
Additionally, women continue to represent 40 per cent of Moldova’s Parliament since the 2021 elections, positioning the country as a regional leader in political gender equality (UN Women & Inter-Parliamentary Union, Women in Politics Map 2025).
The Invest Moldova Agency says that it views this result as a powerful message to international investors and partners: Moldova is a modern, open, and equitable country where both women and men contribute equally to innovation and sustainable growth.
“Gender equality is not only a social priority but a competitive advantage for Moldova’s economy. We encourage our partners to explore the opportunities Moldova offers—where ambition, resilience, and equality move the country forward,” says the agency.
The full Global Gender Gap Report 2025 is available on the World Economic Forum’s website.
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