​Dhaka, Oct 26 (IANS) Bangladesh leads South Asia in gender equity, at world rank 72, followed by India at rank 87, in the Global Gender Gap Index 2016 prepared by the World Economic Forum. Pakistan figures at a lowly 143 in the ranking.

After India comes Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, Bhutan and Pakistan, in that order.

Iceland is ranked the first country in the Global Gender Gap Index of 144 countries.

According to the report, Bangladesh recorded progress in political empowerment gender gap, but its gap on women's labour force participation and estimated earned income widened.

The report found that the US fell from 28th place in 2015 to 45th when it came to closing the gap. The World Economic Forum (WEF) said that is primarily due to a more transparent measure for estimated earned income.

Through the Global Gender Gap Report, the WEF quantifies the magnitude of gender disparities and tracks their progress over time, with a specific focus on the relative gaps between women and men across four key areas: health, education, economy and politics.