Gender income gap in Northern Europe
Northern Europe: Gender income gap was 65.86 in 2026. ▲ Rising
Gender income gap in Northern Europe, 2004–2026
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2026, gender income gap in Northern Europe stood at 65.86. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender income gap in Northern Europe peaked at 65.86 in 2026 and was at its lowest, 56.71, in 2004.
That places Northern Europe 12th out of 87 groups with data for 2026, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Gender income gap in Northern Europe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 56.71 | — |
| 2005 | 57.07 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 57.24 | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 57.78 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 57.93 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 58.82 | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 58.66 | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 61.13 | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 62.97 | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 60.92 | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 61.19 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 61.7 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 62.33 | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 64.93 | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 63.34 | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 64.57 | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 64.4 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 65.49 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 63.68 | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 64.33 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 65.59 | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 65.83 | +0.4% |
| 2026 | 65.86 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 57.59 | 56.71 | 58.82 | 6 |
| 2010s | 62.17 | 58.66 | 64.93 | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.03 | 63.68 | 65.86 | 7 |
More gender data for Northern Europe
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 17,177 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.07 % change on previous year (2030)
- Inactivity rate (ILO modelled estimates) 38.15 (2027)
- Number of seats held by women in national parliaments 841 (2026)
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments 39.6% (2026)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia 14.8% (2023)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia, pregnant 15.3% (2023)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia, non-pregnant 14.7% (2023)
- Proportion of women in managerial positions - 13th ICLS 40.1% (2025)
- Ratio for female members of parliaments (Ratio of the proportion of) 0.8% (2026)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender income gap in Northern Europe?
- Gender income gap in Northern Europe was 65.86 in 2026, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest gender income gap recorded in Northern Europe?
- The highest recorded value was 65.86 in 2026.
- What is the lowest gender income gap recorded in Northern Europe?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.71 in 2004.
- How does Northern Europe rank for gender income gap?
- Northern Europe ranks 12th out of 87 groups with data for 2026.
- Is gender income gap rising or falling in Northern Europe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Northern Europe data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Gender income gap (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. The gender income gap, expressed as a percentage, is calculated as the ratio of women's total labour income to men's total labour income. This indicator reflects gender disparities in work earnings. For example, a value of less than 100 indicates that women earn less than men, with 100 implying parity between men and women. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.