Mapped: Which Countries Are Best for Women?

Mapped: Which Countries Are Best for Women?

Where is the best place in the world to be a woman? According to the latest Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index, the answer remains Northern Europe, where Nordic countries occupy all five of the top positions.

Published by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, the 2025/26 WPS Index ranks 181 countries using 13 indicators spanning women’s inclusion, justice, and security. The results form the basis for this 2026 ranking.

The World’s Best and Worst Countries for Women

The following table ranks countries based on the Women, Peace and Security Index.

Rank	Country	WPS Index Score
1	Denmark	0.939
2	Iceland	0.932
3	Norway	0.924
3	Sweden	0.924
5	Finland	0.921
6	Luxembourg	0.918
7	Belgium	0.912
8	Netherlands	0.905
9	Austria	0.898
9	New Zealand	0.898
11	Australia	0.896
11	Estonia	0.896
13	Ireland	0.891
14	Slovenia	0.889
15	Lithuania	0.887
16	Canada	0.885
17	Latvia	0.884
17	Singapore	0.884
19	Switzerland	0.877
20	United Arab Emirates	0.872
21	Germany	0.869
22	Japan	0.866
23	France	0.864
23	United Kingdom	0.864
25	Spain	0.862
26	Portugal	0.861
27	Poland	0.854
27	Taiwan	0.854
29	Serbia	0.844
30	Malta	0.841
31	United States	0.840
32	Czechia	0.832
32	Hungary	0.832
34	Costa Rica	0.824
35	Uruguay	0.822
36	Moldova	0.821
37	South Korea	0.815
38	Bulgaria	0.814
39	Italy	0.811
40	Seychelles	0.810
41	Hong Kong	0.809
42	Barbados	0.807
43	Romania	0.801
44	Mongolia	0.799
45	Georgia	0.798
46	Slovakia	0.797
47	Argentina	0.791
48	Croatia	0.788
49	Grenada	0.787
49	North Macedonia	0.787
51	Suriname	0.779
52	Cyprus	0.770
52	Guyana	0.770
54	Paraguay	0.768
55	Bahrain	0.765
56	Armenia	0.762
57	Thailand	0.761
58	Oman	0.755
59	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.753
60	Greece	0.752
61	Montenegro	0.743
62	Cabo Verde	0.741
63	Belarus	0.739
63	Chile	0.739
63	Palau	0.739
63	Saudi Arabia	0.739
67	Malaysia	0.738
68	Albania	0.731
68	Fiji	0.731
70	Kuwait	0.723
70	Qatar	0.723
72	Kazakhstan	0.722
73	Viet Nam	0.721
74	Turkmenistan	0.720
75	Russian Federation	0.718
76	Puerto Rico	0.707
77	Sri Lanka	0.706
78	Maldives	0.704
79	Jamaica	0.703
80	Bolivia	0.701
80	Peru	0.701
82	Kosovo	0.700
83	Lao PDR	0.698
84	Israel	0.697
84	Kyrgyzstan	0.697
86	Panama	0.696
87	El Salvador	0.691
88	Jordan	0.686
89	China	0.685
89	Samoa	0.685
89	Tajikistan	0.685
89	Tonga	0.685
89	Trinidad and Tobago	0.685
94	Gabon	0.679
94	Mauritius	0.679
96	Indonesia	0.678
97	Dominican Republic	0.675
98	Uzbekistan	0.674
99	Bhutan	0.673
100	Tunisia	0.671
101	Marshall Islands	0.670
102	Morocco	0.668
102	Timor-Leste	0.668
104	Belize	0.667
104	Cambodia	0.667
106	Türkiye	0.664
107	Nicaragua	0.659
108	Botswana	0.658
108	Solomon Islands	0.658
110	Senegal	0.657
111	Azerbaijan	0.653
112	Kiribati	0.652
113	Federated States of Micronesia	0.648
113	South Africa	0.648
115	Vanuatu	0.646
116	Ukraine	0.645
117	Ghana	0.639
118	Venezuela	0.638
119	Brazil	0.632
120	Nepal	0.631
121	Rwanda	0.624
121	Tanzania	0.624
123	Algeria	0.621
124	São Tomé and Príncipe	0.620
125	Egypt	0.617
126	Lesotho	0.614
127	Ecuador	0.612
128	Iran	0.608
128	Libya	0.608
128	Namibia	0.608
131	India	0.607
131	Philippines	0.607
133	Angola	0.601
133	Sierra Leone	0.601
135	Comoros	0.590
135	Zimbabwe	0.590
137	Côte d’Ivoire	0.589
138	Benin	0.587
138	Uganda	0.587
140	Congo	0.583
141	Lebanon	0.575
142	Zambia	0.566
143	Togo	0.562
144	Guatemala	0.561
144	Honduras	0.561
146	Djibouti	0.560
147	Mexico	0.558
148	Eswatini	0.556
149	Colombia	0.551
150	Malawi	0.549
151	Mozambique	0.548
152	Kenya	0.542
153	Gambia	0.528
154	Guinea	0.527
155	Bangladesh	0.526
156	Ethiopia	0.516
157	Liberia	0.512
158	Iraq	0.510
159	Guinea-Bissau	0.508
160	Burkina Faso	0.507
160	Papua New Guinea	0.507
162	Nigeria	0.495
163	Niger	0.492
164	Mali	0.478
165	Chad	0.476
166	Mauritania	0.475
167	Palestine	0.469
168	Madagascar	0.466
169	Pakistan	0.462
170	Somalia	0.455
171	Cameroon	0.451
172	Myanmar	0.442
173	South Sudan	0.411
174	Burundi	0.407
175	Democratic Republic of the Congo	0.405
176	Haiti	0.399
177	Sudan	0.397
178	Syrian Arab Republic	0.364
179	Central African Republic	0.362
180	Yemen	0.323
181	Afghanistan	0.279

The rankings reveal a sharp geographic divide. Northern Europe continues to set the global benchmark for women’s wellbeing, while countries affected by conflict and political instability cluster at the bottom.

Denmark ranks first with a score of 0.939, followed by Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, and New Zealand round out the global top 10. Afghanistan ranks last, with a score less than one-third of Denmark’s.

Why Nordic Countries Continue to Lead

Nordic countries occupy all five of the top positions thanks to consistently strong performance across the index’s three dimensions: inclusion, justice, and security.

Women in these countries generally benefit from high levels of education, workforce participation, legal protection, financial inclusion, and political representation, alongside relatively low rates of violence. Strong public institutions and broad social safety nets also help support gender equality throughout life.

While no country scores a perfect 1.0, the Nordic region remains the global benchmark for women’s wellbeing.

Outside Northern Europe, Australia and New Zealand continue to perform strongly. Costa Rica and Uruguay also enter the top global quintile for the first time, reflecting sustained gains in women’s rights and wellbeing and making them notable standouts in Latin America.

Conflict Remains the Biggest Divider

At the opposite end of the rankings are Afghanistan, Yemen, the Central African Republic, Syria, Sudan, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, South Sudan, and Myanmar. Many of these countries have experienced years of armed conflict, political instability, or humanitarian crises that disproportionately affect women.

More than 70% of women living in the 12 lowest-ranked countries reside within 50 kilometers of armed conflict, exposing them to higher risks of displacement and gender-based violence. Countries with greater exposure to conflict also tend to score worse on access to justice and maternal health.

This aligns with broader research showing that violence against women rises during periods of instability, while fragile institutions often struggle to provide legal protections and support services. According to the World Health Organization, violence against women remains one of the world’s most widespread human rights violations.

Women’s Wellbeing Reflects Broader Society

The WPS Index measures more than gender equality alone. By combining indicators across security, economic inclusion, healthcare, legal rights, and political participation, it provides a broader snapshot of how supportive countries are for women to live, work, and thrive.

Countries that rank highly typically combine economic opportunity, strong legal protections, accessible healthcare, and low levels of violence. Nations facing prolonged instability, by contrast, often struggle across several dimensions at once.

The rankings therefore offer a broader view of social resilience and institutional strength, not just women’s outcomes in isolation.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To explore more global demographic and workforce trends, check out This Map Shows Where Women Work on the Voronoi app.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/best-countries-for-women-map/