Press release 22/05/2024
GENDER EQUALITY INDEX. 2024
The Gender Equality Index of the Basque Country improved by 1.4 points, standing at 74.5 points in 2021
The highest levels of equality were recorded in aspects relating to health, money and time; and the lowest in knowledge and power
The Basque Country scored 74.5 points out of 100 in the 2021 Gender equality index, an improvement of 1.4 points compared to 2019, applying the methodology of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), according to Eustat data.
This figure places the Basque Country between Luxembourg and Finland in the European league table, countries ranking seventh and eighth, respectively.
The Gender equality index (GEI) is a summary indicator of social advances in gender equality in six different areas or domains: Employment, Money, Knowledge, Time, Power and Health. The results are reported on a scale with 100 representing full equality.
The Basque Country exceeded the EU-27 average in every domain
The Basque Country topped the EU-27 average in all the domains measuring gender equality. The greatest margin was in the Time domain, where the Basque Country ranked significantly higher than all European Union countries. It also scored higher in the Health domain, equalling the fourth-ranked country, particularly in the Health status sub-domain, where it would have been first. However, it ranked lower than Spain, which had an Index score of 76.4.
In the Basque Country, the domain that came closest to full gender equality was Health, with 92.4 points out of 100. At the other end of the equality scale, the Power domain scored 63.1 points. Within this last dimension, equality was higher in Political power, with an equality score of 90.2 points, but much lower in Economic power (52.2 points) and Social power (53.3 points).
All the GEI domains improved between 2010 and 2021
Between 2010 and 2021, the Basque Country increased its score from 68.9 points to 74.5 points. Progress towards gender equality can be discerned in all the index domains and also in the sub-domains, with the exception of Economic situation. Among all the domains, the one with the most positive trend during this period, although it was still the furthest from reaching full equality, was Power, with an 8.8 point increase in the equality score, driven by the improvement in both Economic power — up 13.6 points — and Political power — which rose by 8.5 points.
Gender equality index by dimensions and sub-dimensions. Basque Country and Provinces . 2010-2021
| | BASQUE COUNTRY | Araba/Álava | Bizkaia | Gipuzkoa |
| | 2010 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | 2021 | 2017 | 2019 | 2021 | 2017 | 2019 | 2021 | 2017 | 2019 | 2021 |
| Gender equality index | 68,9 | 69,3 | 71,1 | 73,1 | 74,5 | 71,0 | 72,2 | 74,1 | 69,5 | 71,9 | 73,9 | 72,5 | 73,5 | 74,5 |
| Employment | 70,6 | 72,3 | 72,6 | 74,7 | 75,6 | 72,6 | 75,2 | 76,3 | 71,7 | 73,8 | 74,8 | 74,2 | 75,4 | 76,0 |
| participation | 76,7 | 80,9 | 82,2 | 83,1 | 83,3 | 83,5 | 84,3 | 83,8 | 81,2 | 82,4 | 82,5 | 83,4 | 83,8 | 83,9 |
| Segregation and quality of work | 65,0 | 64,7 | 64,2 | 67,1 | 68,7 | 63,1 | 67,1 | 69,4 | 63,2 | 66,0 | 67,8 | 65,9 | 67,8 | 68,7 |
| Money | 83,1 | 84,5 | 83,7 | 85,4 | 85,6 | 83,5 | 84,9 | 86,7 | 82,3 | 84,5 | 86,3 | 86,9 | 86,4 | 86,5 |
| Financial resources | 73,6 | 76,1 | 76,5 | 80,7 | 79,8 | 74,7 | 80,5 | 79,6 | 76,3 | 80,3 | 79,2 | 77,8 | 81,5 | 80,9 |
| Economic situation | 93,8 | 93,9 | 91,5 | 90,3 | 91,8 | 93,4 | 89,5 | 94,4 | 88,8 | 88,9 | 94,1 | 97,2 | 91,7 | 92,5 |
| Knowledge | 61,2 | 63,9 | 65,2 | 65,6 | 67,7 | 64,0 | 63,9 | 67,4 | 64,8 | 66,6 | 68,7 | 65,5 | 64,8 | 66,1 |
| Achivement and participation | 70,6 | 70,8 | 73,1 | 74,8 | 78,7 | 70,9 | 70,9 | 77,7 | 72,3 | 75,8 | 80,4 | 73,3 | 74,5 | 76,2 |
| Segregation | 53,0 | 57,7 | 58,2 | 57,6 | 58,2 | 57,8 | 57,6 | 58,5 | 58,1 | 58,4 | 58,7 | 58,6 | 56,4 | 57,3 |
| Time | 73,4 | 70,7 | 72,4 | 74,1 | 78,3 | 71,9 | 71,5 | 75,5 | 71,4 | 72,6 | 76,2 | 73,3 | 75,1 | 77,9 |
| Care-related activities | 88,7 | 89,3 | 88,4 | 93,7 | 93,0 | 87,8 | 94,6 | 93,1 | 88,5 | 93,0 | 93,1 | 88,3 | 94,3 | 92,5 |
| Social activities | 60,8 | 56,0 | 59,3 | 58,5 | 65,9 | 59,0 | 54,1 | 61,2 | 57,6 | 56,8 | 62,4 | 60,7 | 59,9 | 65,5 |
| Power | 54,3 | 52,9 | 58,0 | 62,7 | 63,1 | 58,6 | 61,5 | 61,9 | 53,8 | 58,6 | 60,7 | 60,3 | 63,3 | 64,2 |
| Political Power | 81,7 | 80,4 | 87,7 | 96,7 | 90,2 | 87,7 | 93,5 | 90,3 | 72,9 | 83,6 | 85,2 | 91,7 | 92,1 | 91,4 |
| Economic Power | 38,6 | 36,3 | 41,3 | 45,1 | 52,2 | 39,2 | 40,8 | 49,4 | 41,4 | 44,4 | 51,5 | 41,9 | 46,3 | 50,0 |
| Social power | 50,7 | 50,7 | 53,9 | 56,5 | 53,3 | 58,4 | 61,1 | 53,0 | 51,5 | 54,1 | 50,9 | 57,0 | 59,6 | 57,8 |
| Health | 91,3 | 90,9 | 92,4 | 92,4 | 92,4 | 93,7 | 93,4 | 93,5 | 92,5 | 92,5 | 92,4 | 91,7 | 91,9 | 91,9 |
| State of health | 97,0 | 96,2 | 97,3 | 97,2 | 97,2 | 98,0 | 96,9 | 97,2 | 96,8 | 96,6 | 96,5 | 97,7 | 98,3 | 98,2 |
| Healthy Behaviour | 80,6 | 80,6 | 81,3 | 81,3 | 81,3 | 84,3 | 84,3 | 84,3 | 82,1 | 82,1 | 82,1 | 79,0 | 79,0 | 79,0 |
| Healthcare | 97,4 | 96,8 | 99,8 | 99,8 | 99,8 | 99,7 | 99,7 | 99,7 | 99,7 | 99,7 | 99,7 | 99,9 | 99,9 | 99,9 |
The scores vary between 1 (total inequality) and 100 (total equality)
Date May 22, 2024
Source: Eustat. Gender equality index
The Basque provinces improved their scores on the Gender equality index in the period between 2017 and 2021. The equality index for Gipuzkoa was just 3 tenths of a point higher than Álava and six above Bizkaia. Moreover, Bizkaia was the province that registered the greatest increase on the index in the 2017-2021 period while Gipuzkoa improved the least, indicating that the slight differences that existed between territories are disappearing.
Methodological information:
Basic methodology
List of indicators
For further information:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.es Tel.: 945 01 75 62