 In order for the world to close gender gaps, it's very important that we track them and measure them over time. This report tries to do exactly that. We try to understand the gaps between women and men on health, education, economic participation, and political empowerment. We're trying to understand whether women have the same rights and opportunities as men, regardless of whether they're in rich countries or poor countries. In 2014, we cover 142 economies. While no country in the world has fully closed the gender gap, the Nordic countries have closed over 80% of it. Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark occupy the top 5 spots in the rankings. Rwanda enters the rankings for the first time this year. The Philippines at number 9 is the highest ranking Asian country. The US comes back into the top 20 while the UK slips down to 26. Out of the BRICS countries, South Africa is the highest ranking country at number 18, followed by Brazil at 71, Russia at 75, China at 87, and India at 114. Out of the Arab countries, Kuwait is the highest ranking at 113, followed by the UAE at 115. The bottom three countries remain Chad, Pakistan, and Yemen. We now have 9 years of data, almost a decade worth of information. Out of the 111 countries that have been covered since 2006, 105 have been making progress. What's also positive is where the change is coming from. Saudi Arabia, relative to itself, is the country that has made the most progress on economic participation. In the case of education, it's Burkina Faso. But there are countries that are falling backwards. 30% of countries are losing the gains they've made on education, and nearly 40% are moving backwards on health. People and their talents are the key resource that drives most economies. But the benefits of gender equality go beyond the economic case. Women are one half of the world's population. They deserve equal access to health, education, earning potential, and political empowerment. Because ultimately, gender equality is a vital part of humanity's progress.