A global study of gender equality has placed India nearly at the bottom, with some research and rights groups accusing religion of playing a major role in Indians discriminating against women.

The Sustainable Development Goals Gender Index ranked India 95th out of 129 countries. The index measures how well nations are progressing toward achieving gender equality by 2030, which is part of the 17 sustainable development goals set by the United Nations.

The index, developed by U.K. based Equal Measures 2030 and released on June 4, is a joint effort of regional and global organizations. It placed Denmark at the top and Chad at the bottom.

However, India fared better than its neighbours, with Pakistan at 113, Nepal at 102 and Bangladesh at 110. China was in 74th position.

Gender equality progress is measured by a set of indicators including the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments. India ranked 16th in the region as women made up only 1.8 percent of parliament in 2018. Another indicator is the extent to which a national budget is broken down by factors such as gender, age, income or region. India scored zero, the worst in the region.

The percentage of seats held by women in India’s Supreme Court was the fourth worst in the region.

Allen Frances, a women’s rights activist in New Delhi, said the gender gap in India is “deep and dreadful” as women comprise 48 percent of the nation’s population of 1.25 billion.

Discrimination against women results in social evils such as child marriage, Frances said. India has 24 million child brides, 40 percent of the world’s 60 million child brides.