Use This VisualizationMapped: Which Countries Are Best for Women?Key Takeaways:Denmark ranks as the world’s best country for women, while Nordic nations occupy all five of the top positions.Afghanistan remains the lowest-ranked country, with Denmark’s score more than three times higher.Costa Rica and Uruguay enter the top global quintile for the first time, marking notable progress in Latin America.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 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.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.