New estimates from the International Labour Organization (ILO) show that women still earn, on average, 18 per cent less than men globally, with the gender pay gap narrowing by only two percentage points since the last estimates were released in 2018.
The estimates, released on September 18, 2026, show significant differences between countries and income groups, with some countries making substantial progress while others have seen their gender pay gaps remain unchanged or even widen. The ILO said the slow pace of progress highlights the need for stronger action to achieve equal pay for work of equal value.
Speaking on the findings, ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo said the reduction in the gender pay gap was not enough and called for faster action to turn commitments on equal pay into results.
“A reduction of just two percentage points in ten years is simply not enough. Equal pay is not only a question of fairness; it is fundamental to achieving gender equality and advancing social justice in the world of work, hence the urgency of accelerating progress and turning commitments on equal pay into results,” Houngbo said.
Across income groups, the gender pay gap narrowed by around 2.5 percentage points in high-income countries, two percentage points in lower-middle-income countries and one percentage point in upper-middle-income countries over the past decade.
ILO Senior Gender Specialist Emanuela Pozzan said the differences between countries and income groups show that there are ways to close gender pay gaps.
“The differences we see between countries and across income groups show us that there are ways for us to close the gender pay gaps. Progress is possible, and it requires smart policies that are context-specific and that are tailored to a country’s own labour-market conditions,” Pozzan explained.
She added that it was important to act now because millions of women whose work sustains families, businesses and communities continue to have their work undervalued.
Behind the figures are millions of women whose work across different sectors and occupations continues to be too often undervalued, according to the ILO.
The organisation said the gender pay gap is complex and reflects broader inequalities in the world of work, including differences in access to employment and career progression, occupational segregation, the unequal distribution of paid and unpaid care responsibilities, discrimination and the undervaluation of women’s work.
The ILO said tackling the gap effectively therefore requires coordinated action by workers, employers and governments.
Chidi King, Chief of the ILO’s Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Branch, said governments, employers and workers could remove structural barriers that contribute to gender pay inequality and strengthen laws and institutions that promote equal pay.
“Together, governments, employers and workers can remove the structural barriers that underpin this injustice and strengthen the laws and institutions that promote equal pay,” King emphasized.
She added that social dialogue, including collective bargaining, could help address the undervaluation of work done by women, strengthen pay transparency, build fairer wage structures and ensure that women have an equal voice in shaping their economic lives.
The ILO said measures such as stronger pay transparency, objective and gender-neutral job evaluation, effective wage policies, collective bargaining, enforcement of equality legislation, and investment in care systems and social protection could all contribute to tackling the structural factors behind gender pay inequalities.
Equal pay for work of equal value is a fundamental principle of the ILO and is enshrined in the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100).
International Equal Pay Day, recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 and commemorated annually on September 18, provides an opportunity to renew commitment to the principle of equal pay and reinforce the action needed to make it a reality.
The ILO said the day is not only an opportunity to measure progress made but also a call to accelerate action, noting that at the current pace of decline of just 0.2 percentage points per year, closing the gender pay gap remains a distant dream.
On September 18, 2026, the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), a partnership launched in 2017 by the ILO, UN Women and the OECD, brought together governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations, civil society, the private sector, academia and other partners at an international gathering in Dublin, Ireland.
The gathering, organised by the Government of Ireland to commemorate International Equal Pay Day, focused on assessing progress and identifying concrete policy actions to accelerate the achievement of equal pay for work of equal value and close persistent gender pay gaps.
The ILO said the backdrop to the event was a new resolution adopted at the 2026 International Labour Conference concerning the ILO transformative agenda for gender equality in the world of work.
According to the organisation, the resolution reaffirmed the commitment and determination of ILO member states to close the gender pay gap.
The event highlighted the importance of multilateralism, development cooperation and partnerships, including EPIC, in accelerating progress to ensure that women’s work is valued fairly, opportunities are more equally distributed and the principle of equal pay for work of equal value is translated into concrete results for workers everywhere.
