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Inclusion

Nailatu Al-Quasm, 12, stands in her classroom at Gyezmo primary school in the town of Toro, Bauchi State. Other students are nearby. Their school is among the beneficiaries of the Girls’ Education Project (GEP). Led by the Government with support from the United Kingdom’s Department of International Development (DFID) and UNICEF, the GEP aims to get 1 million more girls into school by 2020, while at the same improving the quality of education. The project also calls for the deployment of more than 10,000 female teachers to rural areas, where the predominance of male teachers deters many parents from sending their girls to school. Nailatu enrolled in school during the GEP’s kick off in Bauchi. Her father, Kasimu Limon Toro, who now runs a traditional Koranic school in a hut near the family’s home, did not learn to write until he attended adult literacy classes, but he insists that all his 15 children “including the 11 girls” must get a good education. “I will support her in this with all my heart, until the day I die,” he said of Nailatu’s dreams of becoming a doctor. “I want to help people. I want to help my mother, my father, my brothers, my sisters,” said Nailatu.

Inclusion is measured by women’s achievements in education, employment, and parliamentary representation, as well as access to cell phones and financial services.

Education
Employment
Cellphone Use
Financial Inclusion
Parliament

Education

Education is critical to women’s opportunities, freedom from violence, and health. Years of schooling is a more precise measure than, for example, secondary school completion. Our Index captures the average number of years of education of women ages 25 and older.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

2021
Best country score Germany (13.9)
Worst country score Burkina Faso (1.1)
Global average 8.1

Employment

Employment reflects women’s economic opportunities, which are central to realizing women’s capabilities. It is preferred to labor force participation because it excludes unemployment. Our Index captures the percentage of women ages 25 and older who are employed.

Source: ILOSTAT database

2021
Best country score Burundi (91.8%)
Worst country score Yemen (5.2%)
Global Average 46.5%

Cellphone Use

Cellphone use is increasingly recognized as core to people’s opportunities to participate in the economy, society, and politics. Our Index captures the percentage of women ages 15 years and older who report having a mobile phone that they use to make and receive personal calls.

Source: Gallup World Poll 2018

2021
Best Country Score Libya (100.0%)
Worst Country Score South Sudan (27.0%)
Global Average 84.7%

Financial Inclusion

Financial inclusion allows individuals to smooth consumption, manage risk, be more resilient, invest in education and health, and start and expand a business. Our Index measures the percentage of women ages 15 and older who report having an individual or joint account at a bank or other financial institution or who report using a mobile money service in the past year.

Source: World Bank Global Findex Database

2021
Best Country Score Denmark (100.0%)
Worst Country Score Yemen (1.7%)
Global Average 63.6%

Parliament

This is the most widely available measure of women’s political participation. Our Index captures the percentage of seats held by women in lower and upper houses of national parliament.

Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union

2021
Best Country Score Rwanda (55.7%)
Worst Country Score Papua New Guinea (0.0%)
Global Average 25.5%

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