Which Countries Are Best (& Worst) For Women?

Where is the best place in the world to be a woman? As Visual Capitalist's Srijaa Chatterjee highlights in the following graphic, 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 WomenThe following table ranks countries based on the Women, Peace and Security Index.RankCountryWPS Index Score1🇩🇰 Denmark0.9392🇮🇸 Iceland0.9323🇳🇴 Norway0.9243🇸🇪 Sweden0.9245🇫🇮 Finland0.9216🇱🇺 Luxembourg0.9187🇧🇪 Belgium0.9128🇳🇱 Netherlands0.9059🇦🇹 Austria0.8989🇳🇿 New Zealand0.89811🇦🇺 Australia0.89611🇪🇪 Estonia0.89613🇮🇪 Ireland0.89114🇸🇮 Slovenia0.88915🇱🇹 Lithuania0.88716🇨🇦 Canada0.88517🇱🇻 Latvia0.88417🇸🇬 Singapore0.88419🇨🇭 Switzerland0.87720🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates0.87221🇩🇪 Germany0.86922🇯🇵 Japan0.86623🇫🇷 France0.86423🇬🇧 United Kingdom0.86425🇪🇸 Spain0.86226🇵🇹 Portugal0.86127🇵🇱 Poland0.85427🇹🇼 Taiwan0.85429🇷🇸 Serbia0.84430🇲🇹 Malta0.84131🇺🇸 United States0.84032🇨🇿 Czechia0.83232🇭🇺 Hungary0.83234🇨🇷 Costa Rica0.82435🇺🇾 Uruguay0.82236🇲🇩 Moldova0.82137🇰🇷 South Korea0.81538🇧🇬 Bulgaria0.81439🇮🇹 Italy0.81140🇸🇨 Seychelles0.81041🇭🇰 Hong Kong0.80942🇧🇧 Barbados0.80743🇷🇴 Romania0.80144🇲🇳 Mongolia0.79945🇬🇪 Georgia0.79846🇸🇰 Slovakia0.79747🇦🇷 Argentina0.79148🇭🇷 Croatia0.78849🇬🇩 Grenada0.78749🇲🇰 North Macedonia0.78751🇸🇷 Suriname0.77952🇨🇾 Cyprus0.77052🇬🇾 Guyana0.77054🇵🇾 Paraguay0.76855🇧🇭 Bahrain0.76556🇦🇲 Armenia0.76257🇹🇭 Thailand0.76158🇴🇲 Oman0.75559🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina0.75360🇬🇷 Greece0.75261🇲🇪 Montenegro0.74362🇨🇻 Cabo Verde0.74163🇧🇾 Belarus0.73963🇨🇱 Chile0.73963🇵🇼 Palau0.73963🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia0.73967🇲🇾 Malaysia0.73868🇦🇱 Albania0.73168🇫🇯 Fiji0.73170🇰🇼 Kuwait0.72370🇶🇦 Qatar0.72372🇰🇿 Kazakhstan0.72273🇻🇳 Viet Nam0.72174🇹🇲 Turkmenistan0.72075🇷🇺 Russian Federation0.71876🇵🇷 Puerto Rico0.70777🇱🇰 Sri Lanka0.70678🇲🇻 Maldives0.70479🇯🇲 Jamaica0.70380🇧🇴 Bolivia0.70180🇵🇪 Peru0.70182🇽🇰 Kosovo0.70083🇱🇦 Lao PDR0.69884🇮🇱 Israel0.69784🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan0.69786🇵🇦 Panama0.69687🇸🇻 El Salvador0.69188🇯🇴 Jordan0.68689🇨🇳 China0.68589🇼🇸 Samoa0.68589🇹🇯 Tajikistan0.68589🇹🇴 Tonga0.68589🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago0.68594🇬🇦 Gabon0.67994🇲🇺 Mauritius0.67996🇮🇩 Indonesia0.67897🇩🇴 Dominican Republic0.67598🇺🇿 Uzbekistan0.67499🇧🇹 Bhutan0.673100🇹🇳 Tunisia0.671101🇲🇭 Marshall Islands0.670102🇲🇦 Morocco0.668102🇹🇱 Timor-Leste0.668104🇧🇿 Belize0.667104🇰🇭 Cambodia0.667106🇹🇷 Türkiye0.664107🇳🇮 Nicaragua0.659108🇧🇼 Botswana0.658108🇸🇧 Solomon Islands0.658110🇸🇳 Senegal0.657111🇦🇿 Azerbaijan0.653112🇰🇮 Kiribati0.652113🇫🇲 Federated States of Micronesia0.648113🇿🇦 South Africa0.648115🇻🇺 Vanuatu0.646116🇺🇦 Ukraine0.645117🇬🇭 Ghana0.639118🇻🇪 Venezuela0.638119🇧🇷 Brazil0.632120🇳🇵 Nepal0.631121🇷🇼 Rwanda0.624121🇹🇿 Tanzania0.624123🇩🇿 Algeria0.621124🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe0.620125🇪🇬 Egypt0.617126🇱🇸 Lesotho0.614127🇪🇨 Ecuador0.612128🇮🇷 Iran0.608128🇱🇾 Libya0.608128🇳🇦 Namibia0.608131🇮🇳 India0.607131🇵🇭 Philippines0.607133🇦🇴 Angola0.601133🇸🇱 Sierra Leone0.601135🇰🇲 Comoros0.590135🇿🇼 Zimbabwe0.590137🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire0.589138🇧🇯 Benin0.587138🇺🇬 Uganda0.587140🇨🇬 Congo0.583141🇱🇧 Lebanon0.575142🇿🇲 Zambia0.566143🇹🇬 Togo0.562144🇬🇹 Guatemala0.561144🇭🇳 Honduras0.561146🇩🇯 Djibouti0.560147🇲🇽 Mexico0.558148🇸🇿 Eswatini0.556149🇨🇴 Colombia0.551150🇲🇼 Malawi0.549151🇲🇿 Mozambique0.548152🇰🇪 Kenya0.542153🇬🇲 Gambia0.528154🇬🇳 Guinea0.527155🇧🇩 Bangladesh0.526156🇪🇹 Ethiopia0.516157🇱🇷 Liberia0.512158🇮🇶 Iraq0.510159🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau0.508160🇧🇫 Burkina Faso0.507160🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea0.507162🇳🇬 Nigeria0.495163🇳🇪 Niger0.492164🇲🇱 Mali0.478165🇹🇩 Chad0.476166🇲🇷 Mauritania0.475167🇵🇸 Palestine0.469168🇲🇬 Madagascar0.466169🇵🇰 Pakistan0.462170🇸🇴 Somalia0.455171🇨🇲 Cameroon0.451172🇲🇲 Myanmar0.442173🇸🇸 South Sudan0.411174🇧🇮 Burundi0.407175🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo0.405176🇭🇹 Haiti0.399177🇸🇩 Sudan0.397178🇸🇾 Syrian Arab Republic0.364179🇨🇫 Central African Republic0.362180🇾🇪 Yemen0.323181🇦🇫 Afghanistan0.279The 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 LeadNordic 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 DividerAt 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 SocietyThe 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.To explore more global demographic and workforce trends, check out This Map Shows Where Women Work on the Voronoi app.