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
This appears to be the top 11 countries in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index by score:
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.
