As the global workforce becomes more multigenerational, multicultural, and digitally connected, HR leaders need accurate workplace diversity statistics to guide decision-making and policy design. This 2026 guide summarises the latest diversity in business statistics from global and regional sources.

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Inclusive cultures grow when teams feel psychologically safe. With Meditopia’s new-generation EAP, leaders gain the tools and insights to support diverse teams—consistently and at scale.

Global Workplace Diversity Statistics at a Glance

Global workplace diversity statistics highlight steady but uneven progress across gender, ethnicity, age, disability, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. These figures provide a high-level snapshot of where organisations stand as they move into year.

Topic	Global Stat	Source	Why it matters for HR
Women in Senior Leadership	32% of senior roles globally are held by women	Deloitte, Women in the Boardroom	Shows continuing gender leadership gap across industries.
Board Gender Diversity	Only 10.8% of board chairs globally are women	Deloitte	Highlights the slow pace of change at the highest governance levels.
Ethnic & Racial Inclusion	46% of employees report experiencing or witnessing discrimination at work	Pew Research Center	Indicates persistent structural and interpersonal bias across workplaces.
Disability Workforce Inclusion	Global disability employment gap remains above 30 percentage points	ILO	Reveals long-standing accessibility and accommodation barriers.
LGBTQ+ Inclusion	36% of LGBTQ+ employees hide their identity at work	EU LGBTIQ Survey II	Signals psychological safety challenges that influence retention and wellbeing.
Multigenerational Workforce	By 2030, five generations will work simultaneously across global organisations	World Economic Forum	Creates new expectations around flexibility, learning, inclusion, and wellbeing support.
Inclusion Score Benchmarks	Only 20% of employees globally report a “high inclusion score” within their teams	McKinsey	Indicates that representation gains do not automatically translate into inclusion.

Workplace Diversity Statistics by Region

Regional workplace diversity statistics reveal wide differences in representation, inclusion scores, and DEI maturity. These insights help HR leaders benchmark their own workforce and understand where systemic gaps persist.

67% of uk employers say diversity and inclusion is a priority

UK Workplace Diversity Statistics

The UK continues to advance DEI transparency through mandatory reporting standards. Yet the latest diversity in the workplace statistics UK show persistent representation and pay gaps that organisations must address.

Gender pay gap remains at 14.3% (median) across all employees [1].
Ethnicity pay gaps persist, with Pakistani and Bangladeshi employees earning ≈15% less than Caucasian British employees [2].
Women’s representation on FTSE 350 boards has actually risen to 43.4% (as of early 2025), exceeding the 40% target. While progress continues, women still hold only 7% of CEO roles, and the 50 largest private companies lag behind at 30.5% representation [3].
Disabled people’s employment gap remains high at 28 percentage points [4].
Workplace discrimination remains a significant issue, with 38% to 45% of UK employees reporting experiences of unfair treatment or discrimination. Key challenges include a 28% employment gap for certain groups, with 30% of employers indicating limited leadership commitment to diversity.

These gaps influence talent attraction, retention, wellbeing, and team performance metrics. UK employees increasingly expect transparency and real progressrather than symbolic commitments.

Europe Workplace Diversity Statistics

Across Europe, workforce diversity varies widely, with strong gender equality in Northern Europe but slower progress in Southern and Eastern regions. EU-wide inclusion data highlights areas where demographic equity still lags.

Women in management represent 35% across the EU, but only ~20% in some Eastern European countries [5].
LGBTQ+ inclusion remains limited: 36% conceal their identity at work due to fear of discrimination [6].
21% of workers reported discrimination in the last year based on gender, age, ethnicity, or disability [7].
Women account for 34% of board members in large publicly listed companies across the EU [8].
10% of the EU workforce is foreign-born, creating both cultural diversity and inclusion challenges [9]. This is one of the reasons why Meditopia for Work offers self-guided content in 14 languages.

European organisations need to balance representation with inclusion strategies, especially around psychological safety, equitable promotion pathways, and multicultural team dynamics.

Canada & US Workplace Diversity Statistics

North America has among the most robust reporting frameworks on diversity in business statistics, revealing clear disparities in leadership, pay, and workplace inclusion.

Only 8.8% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women as of 2024 in the US [10].
Racial representation in the US is still low [11]:
- Black executives account for 5% of senior leadership roles.
- Latino executives account for 5.5%.
44% of US employees say discrimination is still a significant workplace problem.‍
Only 1 in 4 senior management roles in Canada are held by women [12].
Among companies publicly reporting board data, racialized directors hold 15% of seats, while Indigenous directors hold <1% [13].
Immigrant talent represents 26% of Canada’s workforce, significantly influencing workplace demographics.

North American and Canadian DEI strategies require structural change to close gaps in leadership, pay equity, and inclusion outcomes.

Asia & Australia Workplace Diversity Statistics

Asia-Pacific diversity trends are complex, shaped by cultural norms, economic development, and evolving legislation. Australia, however, stands out as one of the most transparent regions for gender and leadership reporting.

Women in Japan hold 15% of management positions, among the lowest in OECD countries [14].
53% of Japanese employees report high workplace stress, linked to lack of autonomy and rigid hierarchies [15].
A national cross-sectional study in China found that 38% of general practitioners report workplace discrimination, affecting retention and psychological safety [16].
Women account for only 17% of senior leadership roles in major Chinese firms [17].
In India, women’s labour force participation is 33%, with major regional variation [18].‍
Average organisational gender pay gap in Australia is 21.7% [19].
Women represent 32% of key management positions in Australia, and psychological health risks have increased by 30% in workplaces with low role clarity and poor inclusion.

How Employee Wellness Programs Influence Workplace Diversity

Effective employee wellness programs like Meditopia play a pivotal role in improving inclusion scores, equitable access, representation, psychological safety, and retention. Research shows that wellbeing and diversity outcomes are deeply interconnected.

meditopia is an eap that improves dei initiatives at work and employee wellbeing

Topic	Global Stat	Source	Why it matters for HR
EAP Utilisation Gaps	Underrepresented groups use EAPs 20–30% less than majority groups	SHRM Workplace Mental Health & DEI Report	Signals psychological safety barriers and inequitable access to support.
Burnout Inequity	Women are 32% more likely to report burnout than men globally	McKinsey Women in the Workplace	Burnout disproportionately impacts retention of women and caregivers.
Participation vs Inclusion	Only 20% of employees feel wellness offerings reflect their cultural needs	APA Work in America Survey	Demonstrates the need for culturally sensitive wellbeing design.
Psychological Safety	Teams with high psychological safety are 27% more effective	Google Project Aristotle (long-running research)	Psychological safety drives team performance metrics and DEI progress.
Financial Stress Inequality	Low-income employees are 2× more likely to experience chronic stress	OECD Financial Wellbeing Report	Economic inequities negatively affect minority and marginalised groups.
Wellbeing & Retention	Employees with high wellbeing are 59% less likely to look for a new job	Gallup State of the Global Workplace	Strong wellbeing support reduces attrition across diverse employee groups.
Digital Wellbeing Access	1 in 3 workers globally lack adequate access to digital wellbeing tools	WEF Future of Jobs Report	Digital inequity affects hybrid/remote inclusion outcomes.