Photo: Retlaw Snellac derivative work: JamesA · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 08 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Sudan: Gender & Equality
How wide is the gap between women's and men's lives?
Sudan is placed 182nd of 183 countries on gender & equality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Women, Business and the Law 32.5 (2025); Women's Political Empowerment Index 0.219 (2025).
Share
Gender & Equality
182nd
of 183 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 4 key statistics
- 32.5Women, Business and the Law, 2025WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
- 0.219Women's Political Empowerment Index, 2025Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
- —Firms with a Female Top Manager, 2025No reading for this country
- 64.6Social Institutions and Gender Index, 2023SIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Sudan on gender & equality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
32.5
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
Higher is better
Sudan: 32.5. Across the 190 countries in this edition, values run from 3.125 (Afghanistan) to 100 (Sweden); the world median is 81.25.
- World median
- 81.25
- Best in Northern Africa
- 75.63 Morocco
- Land neighbours
- Central African Republic 77.5 · Egypt 61.88 · Eritrea 69.38 · Ethiopia 80 · Libya 50 · South Sudan 73.75 · Chad 66.25
Key 2 of 4
Women's Political Empowerment Index
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
0.219
Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
Higher is better
Sudan: 0.219. Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from 0.028 (Afghanistan) to 0.954 (Denmark); the world median is 0.772.
- World median
- 0.772
- Best in Northern Africa
- 0.765 Tunisia
- Land neighbours
- Central African Republic 0.556 · Egypt 0.547 · Eritrea 0.151 · Ethiopia 0.691 · Libya 0.412 · South Sudan 0.476 · Chad 0.625
Key 3 of 4
Firms with a Female Top Manager
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2016–2025 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Firms with a female top manager (%)
Higher is better
World Bank Group publishes no reading from 2016–2025 for Sudan, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 179 countries at their latest reading, values run from 1.429 (Qatar) to 62.9 (Kiribati); the world median is 19.16.
- World median
- 19.16
- Best in Northern Africa
- 8.992 Tunisia
- Land neighbours
- Central African Republic 10.22 · Egypt 6.325 · Eritrea 7.647 · Ethiopia 16.44 · South Sudan 10.55 · Chad 8.513
Key 4 of 4
Social Institutions and Gender Index
OECD
2023 edition · data for 2023 · OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
64.6
SIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)
Lower is better
Sudan: 64.6. Across the 140 countries in this edition, values run from 6.7 (Norway) to 67.4 (Mauritania); the world median is 25.2.
- World median
- 25.2
- Best in Northern Africa
- 46.5 Tunisia
- Land neighbours
- Central African Republic 48.7 · Egypt 54.6 · Ethiopia 30.8 · South Sudan 40.6 · Chad 45
02Over time
Which way Sudan is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Women, Business and the Law
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity) · higher is better
SudanWorld median
Sudan rose from 26.25 in 2000 to 32.5 in 2025; the world median went from 63.13 to 81.25.
Every year’s figures
Year Sudan World median 2025 33 81.3 2023 33 81.3 2022 33 80.3 2021 33 80.0 2020 33 79.7 2019 29 78.8 2018 29 77.5 2017 29 77.5 2016 29 76.9 2015 29 75.9 2014 29 75.6 2013 29 75.0 2012 29 73.8 2011 29 73.1 2010 29 73.1 2009 29 72.5 2008 26 71.3 2007 26 69.7 2006 26 68.8 2005 26 67.2 2004 26 66.9 2003 26 64.7 2002 26 63.8 2001 26 63.8 2000 26 63.1 Women's Political Empowerment Index
Women's political empowerment index (0–1) · higher is better
SudanWorld median
Sudan rose from 0.18 in 2000 to 0.219 in 2025; the world median went from 0.681 to 0.772.
Every year’s figures
Year Sudan World median 2025 0.219 0.7715 2024 0.202 0.7745 2023 0.217 0.7755 2022 0.203 0.7825 2021 0.215 0.7785 2020 0.221 0.7755 2019 0.269 0.7665 2018 0.415 0.7715 2017 0.423 0.7710 2016 0.414 0.7780 2015 0.398 0.7755 2014 0.365 0.7795 2013 0.369 0.7730 2012 0.366 0.7740 2011 0.361 0.7650 2010 0.365 0.7610 2009 0.319 0.7515 2008 0.317 0.7505 2007 0.315 0.7380 2006 0.309 0.7290 2005 0.295 0.7350 2004 0.244 0.7205 2003 0.229 0.7160 2002 0.234 0.7150 2001 0.234 0.6950 2000 0.180 0.6810
03In context
Sudan beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 183 countries on gender & equality, never a place within the region.
Sudan and the countries it borders
Standing among all 183; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Women, Business and the LawWBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity) | Women's Political Empowerment IndexWomen's political empowerment index (0–1) | Firms with a Female Top ManagerFirms with a female top manager (%) | Social Institutions and Gender IndexSIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ethiopia | 127th | 80 | 0.691 | 16.44 | 30.8 |
 Central African Republic | 148th | 77.5 | 0.556 | 10.22 | 48.7 |
 South Sudancompare | =151st | 73.75 | 0.476 | 10.55 | 40.6 |
 Chad | 157th | 66.25 | 0.625 | 8.513 | 45 |
 Egypt | 162nd | 61.88 | 0.547 | 6.325 | 54.6 |
 Eritrea | 165th | 69.38 | 0.151 | 7.647 | — |
 Libya | 174th | 50 | 0.412 | — | — |
| Sudan | 182nd | 32.5 | 0.219 | 3.417 | 64.6 |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Northern Africa
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 183.
Placed either side on gender & equality
The countries immediately above and below Sudan in the topic’s list.
Qatar179th
Syria180th
Iran181st- Sudan182nd
Yemen183rd
04Context, no vote
Where Sudan is ahead of the world, and behind
18 more statistics filed under gender & equality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Behind the world median13
Statistics on which Sudan does worse than the middle country measured.
Women Who Think a Husband Is Justified in Hitting or Beating His WifeUNICEF · 2025 · world median 22.43422.4No earlier reading
Sudan: 34 · world median 22.4 · Women aged 15-49 who say a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1.2 to 80.2; lower is better.
Position 47th of 125 · derived, 1st = worst.
Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 27.4666.0727.46No real change since 2013
Sudan: 66.07 · world median 27.46 · Live births per 1,000 women aged 15–19. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.465 to 163.09; lower is better.
Position 47th of 222 · derived, 1st = worst.
Length of Paid Paternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 303▼ Worsened since 2015
Sudan: 0 · world median 3 · Paid paternity leave set in law (calendar days). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 196; higher is better.
Female Genital Mutilation PrevalenceUNICEF · 2024 · world median 34.186.634.1No earlier reading
Sudan: 86.6 · world median 34.1 · Women aged 15-49 who have undergone FGM (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.3 to 99.2; lower is better.
Maternal Mortality RatioMMEIG · 2023 · world median 46.65255.7146.65▼ Worsened since 2013
Sudan: 255.71 · world median 46.65 · Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.11 to 992.83; lower is better.
Position 29th of 195 · derived, 1st = worst.
Child MarriageUNICEF · 2025 · world median 17.134.217.1No earlier reading
Sudan: 34.2 · world median 17.1 · Women 20–24 married before 18 (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.3; lower is better.
Position 19th of 143 · derived, 1st = worst.
Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four VisitsUNICEF · 2025 · world median 8150.781No earlier reading
Sudan: 50.7 · world median 81 · Women with a live birth who had 4+ antenatal visits (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 22.6 to 100; higher is better.
Position 135th of 153 · derived.
Length of Paid Maternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 985698No real change since 2015
Sudan: 56 · world median 98 · Paid maternity leave set in law (calendar days). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 410; higher is better.
Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.3510.5880.351▼ Worsened since 2013
Sudan: 0.588 · world median 0.351 · GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 0.838; lower is better.
Ranked 158th of 172 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.
Demand for Family Planning Satisfied by Modern MethodsUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 71.2535.871.25No real change since 2013
Sudan: 35.8 · world median 71.25 · Share of women aged 15–49 wanting to avoid pregnancy who use a modern method (%). UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 8.4 to 92.4; higher is better.
Position 184th of 196 · derived.
Firms with Female Participation in OwnershipWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 35.128.1535.12No earlier reading
Sudan: 8.15 · world median 35.12 · Firms with at least one woman among the owners (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 1.273 to 86.78; higher is better.
Position 172nd of 181 · derived.
Gender Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.9710.8130.971▼ Worsened since 2013
Sudan: 0.813 · world median 0.971 · Gender Development Index (1.000 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.407 to 1.038; higher is better.
Position 177th of 184 · derived.
Institutional DeliveriesUNICEF · 2025 · world median 96.927.796.9No earlier reading
Sudan: 27.7 · world median 96.9 · Live births delivered in a health facility (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 11.5 to 100; higher is better.
No better end5
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Female Share of ResearchersUIS · 2024 · world median 38.174038.17No earlier reading
Sudan: 40 · world median 38.17 · Researchers who are women (% of headcount; 50 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.54.
Sex Ratio at BirthUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 105.1104.1105.1No real change since 2013
Sudan: 104.1 · world median 105.1 · Male births per 100 female births. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 101.1 to 116.3.
Caesarean Section RateUNICEF · 2025 · world median 20.659.120.65No earlier reading
Sudan: 9.1 · world median 20.65 · Live births delivered by caesarean section (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.6 to 72.2.
Mean Age at First Marriage, WomenUN DESA Population Division · 2019 · world median 24.6521.924.65No earlier reading
Sudan: 21.9 · world median 24.65 · Singulate mean age at marriage, women (years). UN DESA Population Division, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 17 to 34.
Female-Headed HouseholdsUN DESA Population Division · 2026 · world median 33.2114.2133.21No earlier reading
Sudan: 14.21 · world median 33.21 · Households headed by a woman (% of households). UN DESA Population Division, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 5.33 to 64.59.
No current reading for Sudan
Account Ownership Among Women (last 2014), Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff (last 2014), Female Labour Force Participation Rate (last 2022), Female Share of Senior and Middle Management (last 2022), Female Share of STEM Graduates (last 2015), Gender Parity Index, Tertiary Enrolment (last 2015), Gender Social Norms Index, Global Gender Parity Index, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Women's Empowerment Index and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Gender & Equality among Sudan’s 15 topics
Gender & Equality is Sudan’s 15th best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Energy24th of 1652/3 keys
- Poverty & Inequality94th of 1592/3 keys
- Environment & Sustainabilityjoint 126th of 1864/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital176th of 1963/3 keys
- Digital & Technologyjoint 178th of 1983/4 keys
- Peace & Securityjoint 160th of 1774/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing185th of 2003/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties184th of 1984/4 keys
- Education & Knowledgejoint 190th of 1983/4 keys
- Mobility & Trade170th of 1773/4 keys
- Governance & Institutions187th of 1944/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience188th of 1933/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation173rd of 1762/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture182nd of 1842/4 keys
- Gender & Equality182nd of 1833/4 keys
No standing on Work & Labour: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on gender & equality
The three countries placed highest of 183, and the leaders Sudan can most readily be measured against.
1
LatviaNorthern Europe
1st of 183 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Marcin Szala · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
TaiwanEastern Asia
2nd of 183 · 3 of 4 keys
Photo: xiangyang17 · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
3
ItalySouthern Europe
3rd of 183 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Francisco Antunes · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Africa
Cabo Verde=34th3/4 keysHighest in Northern Africa
Tunisia146th4/4 keysThis page
Sudan182nd3/4 keys
Positions out of 183 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Sudan on gender & equality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Sudan rank on gender & equality?
Sudan is placed 182nd of 183 countries on Gender & Equality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics (Women, Business and the Law, Women's Political Empowerment Index and Social Institutions and Gender Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Women, Business and the Law figure for Sudan?
32.5 in 2025 (wBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 81.25.
What is the latest Women's Political Empowerment Index figure for Sudan?
0.219 in 2025 (women's political empowerment index (0–1)), according to V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. The world median in the same edition was 0.772.
How does Sudan compare with Ethiopia on gender & equality?
Ethiopia is placed 127th of 183, and Sudan 182nd. Women, Business and the Law: Ethiopia 80, Sudan 32.5; Women's Political Empowerment Index: Ethiopia 0.691, Sudan 0.219; Social Institutions and Gender Index: Ethiopia 30.8, Sudan 64.6.
How have Sudan’s gender & equality figures changed?
Women, Business and the Law rose from 26.25 in 2000 to 32.5 in 2025; Women's Political Empowerment Index rose from 0.18 in 2000 to 0.219 in 2025.
Which gender & equality statistics are missing for Sudan?
No current reading is published for Sudan on Account Ownership Among Women, Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff, Female Labour Force Participation Rate, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management, Female Share of STEM Graduates, Gender Parity Index, Tertiary Enrolment, Gender Social Norms Index, Global Gender Parity Index, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Women's Empowerment Index and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Violence against women is not a key here, because comparable data covers too few countries. The Gender Inequality Index is published here as context rather than as a key: its reading is driven largely by maternal and adolescent health, which moves with a country’s overall development and is already measured under Development and Health. Women’s labour force participation, women in management and child marriage are published here as context too.
How the Gender & Equality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The gender & equality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Women, Business and the Law — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Women's Political Empowerment Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Firms with a Female Top Manager — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Social Institutions and Gender Index — OECD, OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
The other 18 statistics on this page come from 6 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Sudan’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Sudan (banner) — Retlaw Snellac derivative work: JamesA, CC BY 2.0
- Latvia — Marcin Szala, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Taiwan — xiangyang17, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Italy — Francisco Antunes, CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Sudan: Gender & Equality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/sudan/gender