The Little Data Book on Gender 2016 is a quick reference for users interested in gender statistics. It presents sex-disaggregated data for more than 200 countries in a straightforward, country-by-country reference on education,health, access to economic opportunities, and public life and decision making. Summary pages that cover regional and income group aggregates are also included. This fourth issue of The Little Data Book on Gender reflects the structure of the World Development Report 2012 on Gender Equality and Development. The report examined the driving forces behind differences in key aspects of welfare between men and women - education and health, access to economic opportunities and productive resources, and the ability to make effective choices and take action. Gender equality is increasingly recognised as not only a core development objective, but smart economics. Over the past decades, countries have seen significant progress to raise living standards and close gaps between males and females, including visible improvements in health and education. At the same time, critical gaps persist in economic opportunity as well as agency of women and girls. Addressing gender inequalities requires continued efforts to overcome a complex set of interrelated challenges linking gaps in human capital and technology, women's disproportionate responsibility for unpaid work, legal discrimination, and gender-based violence.
