Bangladesh has again topped gender equality in South Asia, said the World Economic Forum.

Bangladesh jumped 25 notches to 47th place in the Global Gender Gap ranking 2017.

Bangladesh closed 72% of the gender gap, said the study published on Thursday.

According to the report, Bangladesh scored 0.719 on the gender parity index and was ranked the highest among the South Asian nations while came second Maldives at 106.

India slipped 21 slots and ranked 108 while Sri Lanka ranked 109, Nepal 111, Bhutan 124 and Pakistan 143.

It ranked 7th among 155 countries in the political empowerment category but performed worst in economic participation and opportunity with in which it currently ranks 129th.

Bangladesh had ranked 72 last year.

Through the Global Gender Gap Report, the World Economic Forum 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.

The 2017 Report covers 144 countries.