Viet Nam ranked 42nd out of 128 countries and territories surveyed for the global Gender Gap Index 2007, which was recently released by the World Economic Forum.
Viet Nam, which was included in the report for the first time, ranked second in the Southeast Asian region after the Philippines.
Its score was higher than some countries in eastern Asia including China (73rd), Japan (91st) and the Republic of Korea(97th).
Sweden topped the index, followed by Norway, Finland and Iceland.
Meanwhile, Pakistan, Chad and Yemen stayed at the bottom.
The Index measured the gender gap in four critical areas: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment, and health and survival. Viet Nam ranked 11th, 103rd, 91st and 42nd of the four areas respectively.
The report relies on official data from prestigious international organizations such as the International Labor Organization, the United Nations Development Program, and the World Health Organization.
The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.
