Photo: uploaded by Chern038 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 08 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Ukraine: Gender & Equality
How wide is the gap between women's and men's lives?
Ukraine is placed joint 56th of 183 countries on gender & equality in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Women, Business and the Law 85 (2025); Women's Political Empowerment Index 0.888 (2025).
Share
Gender & Equality
joint56th
of 183 countries placed
Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics
- 85Women, Business and the Law, 2025WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
- 0.888Women's Political Empowerment Index, 2025Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
- 17.68Firms with a Female Top Manager, 2025Firms with a female top manager (%)
- 16.3Social Institutions and Gender Index, 2023SIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Ukraine 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.
85
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
Higher is better
Ukraine: 85. 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 Eastern Europe
- 93.75 3 countries
- Land neighbours
- Belarus 75.63 · Hungary 93.75 · Moldova 90.63 · Poland 93.75 · Romania 90.63 · Russia 73.13 · Slovakia 87.5
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
0.888
Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
Higher is better
Ukraine: 0.888. 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 Eastern Europe
- 0.93 Czechia
- Land neighbours
- Belarus 0.657 · Hungary 0.818 · Moldova 0.898 · Poland 0.878 · Romania 0.872 · Russia 0.546 · Slovakia 0.878
Key 3 of 4
Firms with a Female Top Manager
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2016–2025 · Ukraine’s is from 2019 · CC BY 4.0
17.68
Firms with a female top manager (%)
Higher is better
Ukraine: 17.68. 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 Eastern Europe
- 32.28 Poland
- Land neighbours
- Belarus 21.12 · Hungary 18.12 · Moldova 21.58 · Poland 32.28 · Romania 19.04 · Russia 24.25 · Slovakia 20.41
Key 4 of 4
Social Institutions and Gender Index
OECD
2023 edition · data for 2023 · OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
16.3
SIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)
Lower is better
Ukraine: 16.3. 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 Eastern Europe
- 11 Moldova
- Land neighbours
- Hungary 15.2 · Moldova 11 · Poland 18.5 · Romania 15.7 · Slovakia 14.2
02Over time
Which way Ukraine 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
UkraineWorld median
Ukraine rose from 66.88 in 2000 to 85 in 2025; the world median went from 63.13 to 81.25.
Every year’s figures
Year Ukraine World median 2025 85.0 81.3 2023 85.0 81.3 2022 85.0 80.3 2021 85.0 80.0 2020 79.4 79.7 2019 79.4 78.8 2018 79.4 77.5 2017 76.3 77.5 2016 76.3 76.9 2015 76.3 75.9 2014 76.3 75.6 2013 78.8 75.0 2012 75.6 73.8 2011 75.6 73.1 2010 75.6 73.1 2009 75.6 72.5 2008 73.1 71.3 2007 73.1 69.7 2006 73.1 68.8 2005 66.9 67.2 2004 66.9 66.9 2003 66.9 64.7 2002 66.9 63.8 2001 66.9 63.8 2000 66.9 63.1 Women's Political Empowerment Index
Women's political empowerment index (0–1) · higher is better
UkraineWorld median
Ukraine rose from 0.764 in 2000 to 0.888 in 2025; the world median went from 0.681 to 0.772.
Every year’s figures
Year Ukraine World median 2025 0.888 0.7715 2024 0.873 0.7745 2023 0.889 0.7755 2022 0.878 0.7825 2021 0.886 0.7785 2020 0.873 0.7755 2019 0.851 0.7665 2018 0.818 0.7715 2017 0.811 0.7710 2016 0.824 0.7780 2015 0.814 0.7755 2014 0.808 0.7795 2013 0.842 0.7730 2012 0.838 0.7740 2011 0.829 0.7650 2010 0.833 0.7610 2009 0.850 0.7515 2008 0.852 0.7505 2007 0.853 0.7380 2006 0.854 0.7290 2005 0.836 0.7350 2004 0.789 0.7205 2003 0.757 0.7160 2002 0.749 0.7150 2001 0.762 0.6950 2000 0.764 0.6810
03In context
Ukraine 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.
Ukraine 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Poland | =12th | 93.75 | 0.878 | 32.28 | 18.5 |
 Moldova | =15th | 90.63 | 0.898 | 21.58 | 11 |
 Slovakia | 39th | 87.5 | 0.878 | 20.41 | 14.2 |
 Romania | 48th | 90.63 | 0.872 | 19.04 | 15.7 |
 Hungary | 50th | 93.75 | 0.818 | 18.12 | 15.2 |
| Ukraine | =56th | 85 | 0.888 | 17.68 | 16.3 |
 Belarus | 119th | 75.63 | 0.657 | 21.12 | — |
 Russia | =122nd | 73.13 | 0.546 | 24.25 | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Eastern Europe
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 183.
Placed either side on gender & equality
The countries immediately above and below Ukraine in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Ukraine is ahead of the world, and behind
20 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.
Ahead of the world median13
Statistics on which Ukraine does better than the middle country measured.
Women Who Think a Husband Is Justified in Hitting or Beating His WifeUNICEF · 2025 · world median 22.42.922.4No earlier reading
Ukraine: 2.9 · 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 119th of 125 · derived, 1st = worst.
Length of Paid Maternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 9812698▼ Worsened since 2015
Ukraine: 126 · 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.
Length of Paid Paternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 3143▲ Improved since 2015
Ukraine: 14 · 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.
Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 27.4611.3827.46▲ Improved since 2013
Ukraine: 11.38 · 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 156th of 222 · derived, 1st = worst.
Maternal Mortality RatioMMEIG · 2023 · world median 46.6514.9546.65No real change since 2013
Ukraine: 14.95 · 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 136th of 195 · derived, 1st = worst.
Child MarriageUNICEF · 2025 · world median 17.19.117.1No earlier reading
Ukraine: 9.1 · 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 101st of 143 · derived, 1st = worst.
Institutional DeliveriesUNICEF · 2025 · world median 96.998.996.9No earlier reading
Ukraine: 98.9 · 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.
Gender Social Norms IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 91.8184.2191.81No earlier reading
Ukraine: 84.21 · world median 91.81 · People with at least one bias against gender equality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 27.39 to 99.92; lower is better.
Position 61st of 91 · derived, 1st = worst.
Account Ownership Among WomenWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 71.2483.8971.24▲ Improved since 2014
Ukraine: 83.89 · world median 71.24 · Women with an account (% of women aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 11.91 to 99.85; higher is better.
Position 48th of 139 · derived.
Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four VisitsUNICEF · 2025 · world median 8187.281No earlier reading
Ukraine: 87.2 · 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 58th of 153 · derived.
Firms with Female Participation in OwnershipWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 35.1238.5735.12No earlier reading
Ukraine: 38.57 · 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 71st of 181 · derived.
Demand for Family Planning Satisfied by Modern MethodsUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 71.2574.871.25▲ Improved since 2013
Ukraine: 74.8 · 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 80th of 196 · derived.
Gender Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.9711.0380.971▼ Worsened since 2013
Ukraine: 1.038 · 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 103rd of 184 · derived.
Behind the world median1
Statistics on which Ukraine does worse than the middle country measured.
Gender Parity Index, Tertiary EnrolmentUIS · 2024 · world median 1.2440.8541.244▼ Worsened since 2014
Ukraine: 0.854 · world median 1.244 · Adjusted gender parity index, tertiary gross enrolment (1 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.74 to 1.83; higher is better.
Position 25th of 95 · derived.
No better end6
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Female-Headed HouseholdsUN DESA Population Division · 2026 · world median 33.2147.9333.21No earlier reading
Ukraine: 47.93 · 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.
Sex Ratio at BirthUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 105.1106.3105.1Moved since 2013
Ukraine: 106.3 · 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.
Female Share of ResearchersUIS · 2024 · world median 38.1743.0138.17No earlier reading
Ukraine: 43.01 · 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.
Mean Age at First Marriage, WomenUN DESA Population Division · 2019 · world median 24.652324.65No earlier reading
Ukraine: 23 · 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.
Caesarean Section RateUNICEF · 2025 · world median 20.6512.120.65No earlier reading
Ukraine: 12.1 · 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.
Female Share of STEM GraduatesUIS · 2023 · world median 35.325.4835.3Moved since 2015
Ukraine: 25.48 · world median 35.3 · STEM graduates who are women (%; 50 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 8.333 to 55.96.
No current reading for Ukraine
Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff (last 2014), Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Female Labour Force Participation Rate (last 2021), Female Share of Senior and Middle Management (last 2021), Gender Inequality 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 Ukraine’s 14 topics
Gender & Equality is Ukraine’s 3rd best-placed topic of 14. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Poverty & Inequalityjoint 3rd of 1592/3 keys
- Digital & Technologyjoint 23rd of 1984/4 keys
- Gender & Equalityjoint 56th of 1834/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital65th of 1963/3 keys
- Risk & Resilience87th of 1934/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation83rd of 1764/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing97th of 2003/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainabilityjoint 97th of 1863/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge105th of 1983/4 keys
- Mobility & Trade94th of 1774/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture106th of 1844/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties115th of 1984/4 keys
- Governance & Institutionsjoint 121st of 1944/4 keys
- Peace & Security156th of 1774/4 keys
No standing on Work & Labour, Energy: 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 Ukraine 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 Europe
Latvia1st4/4 keysHighest in Eastern Europe
Poland=12th4/4 keysThis page
Ukraine=56th4/4 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
Ukraine 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 Ukraine rank on gender & equality?
Ukraine is placed joint 56th of 183 countries on Gender & Equality in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Women, Business and the Law, Women's Political Empowerment Index, Firms with a Female Top Manager 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 Ukraine?
85 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 Ukraine?
0.888 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 Ukraine compare with Russia on gender & equality?
Russia is placed joint 122nd of 183, and Ukraine joint 56th. Women, Business and the Law: Russia 73.13, Ukraine 85; Women's Political Empowerment Index: Russia 0.546, Ukraine 0.888; Firms with a Female Top Manager: Russia 24.25, Ukraine 17.68.
How have Ukraine’s gender & equality figures changed?
Women, Business and the Law rose from 66.88 in 2000 to 85 in 2025; Women's Political Empowerment Index rose from 0.764 in 2000 to 0.888 in 2025.
Which gender & equality statistics are missing for Ukraine?
No current reading is published for Ukraine on Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Female Labour Force Participation Rate, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management, Gender Inequality 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 20 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
Ukraine’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Ukraine (banner) — uploaded by Chern038, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 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). Ukraine: Gender & Equality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/ukraine/gender