World Bank Group · Women, Business and the Law
Women, Business and the Law by country
How equal are women and men in the law on work and money?
14 countries shared first place of the 190 countries compared in 2025, all at 100.0, and Afghanistan last, at 3.1. In the middle country the figure was 81.3. Among the 190 countries measured in every edition since 1970, the middle one moved from 46.3 to 81.3.
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Women, Business and the Law · 2025
Key statistic · Gender & Equality
14 countries share the highest value, 100.0 — no single country is named first.
012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 190 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
Highest in 2025 · shared
14 countries share the highest reading, 100.0
No single country is named first: picking one from a shared value would be a choice the data does not make.
Lowest in 2025
- 190
Afghanistan3.1 - 189
Palestine26.3 - 188
Yemen26.9
Positions out of 190. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Togo97.5 - Americas
Canada100.0 - Asia
Cyprus96.9 - Europe
13 countries share 100.0
- Oceania
New Zealand97.5 - Every region
02Every measured country
Women, Business and the Law on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 3.1–65.0
- 65.6–78.8
- 79.4–85.0
- 85.6–92.5
- 93.8–100.0
- No reading in 2025
- Europe
94.4
the middle country, of 41 measured · 49 members
13 share 100.0
Russia73.1Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
83.8
the middle country, of 35 measured · 48 members
Canada100.0
Haiti61.3Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Africa
76.9
the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members
Togo97.5
Sudan32.5Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Asia
75.3
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
Cyprus96.9Afghanistan3.1Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Oceania
63.4
the middle country, of 12 measured · 21 members
New Zealand97.5
Vanuatu55.6Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
100.0
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
5 share 100.0
Switzerland94.4Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
97.5
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
4 share 100.0
Lithuania93.8Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Southern Europe
92.8
the middle country, of 14 measured · 17 members
4 share 100.0
Bosnia and Herzegovina81.9Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
90.6
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
3 share 93.8
Russia73.1Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Eastern Asia
89.4
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
Hong Kong91.9
China78.1Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- South America
86.9
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Peru95.0
Chile80.0Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Central America
83.1
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica91.9
Guatemala73.8Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Southern Africa
83.1
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Lesotho90.0
Eswatini46.3Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- South-eastern Asia
81.9
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Vietnam88.1
Brunei53.1Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Eastern Africa
80.0
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Rwanda91.9
Somalia55.6Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Western Africa
78.4
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Togo97.5
Mauritania51.3Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Middle Africa
76.3
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Gabon91.9
Equatorial Guinea58.1Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Caribbean
75.0
the middle country, of 13 measured · 24 members
Dominican Republic86.3Haiti61.3Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Asia
65.6
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Nepal75.6Afghanistan3.1Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Western Asia
63.4
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Cyprus96.9Palestine26.3Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Northern Africa
61.3
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Morocco75.6Sudan32.5Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand97.5
Australia96.9Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Central Asia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
Kyrgyzstan86.3
Kazakhstan75.6Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Fiji83.1Vanuatu55.6Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Micronesia
4 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau.
Kiribati76.3
Palau56.3Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada100.0
United States91.3Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
2 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Samoa, Tonga.
Samoa75.0
Tonga61.3Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
190 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 81.3; a quarter are above 90.6, and a quarter below 70.8. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 190 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. World Bank Group ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. It measures the law, not life: a country can grant full legal parity and still have few women in work or in parliament. Read the ties as real — 14 economies score a flat 100 in 2026, and 190 economies hold only 74 distinct scores between them, because a law is either on the books or it is not.
Showing 25 of 190 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2023 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051970–2025 · 55 editions
Over time
Each point is one year of the statute book, as the Bank’s report the following year recorded it. There is no 2024 point: the Bank moved from its 2024 report (the law of 2023) straight to its 2026 one (the law of 2025). The series can reach back to 1971 precisely because the Bank read the historical law rather than waiting for a survey.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 190 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 190 | 81.3 | 70.8 – 90.6 | 81.3 |
| 2023 | 190 | 81.3 | 68.9 – 90.6 | 81.3 |
| 2022 | 190 | 80.3 | 68.3 – 88.8 | 80.3 |
| 2021 | 190 | 80.0 | 67.0 – 88.1 | 80.0 |
| 2020 | 190 | 79.7 | 66.4 – 87.3 | 79.7 |
| 2019 | 190 | 78.8 | 64.4 – 88.0 | 78.8 |
| 2018 | 190 | 77.5 | 63.8 – 88.0 | 77.5 |
| 2017 | 190 | 77.5 | 62.7 – 86.9 | 77.5 |
| 2016 | 190 | 76.9 | 60.6 – 86.7 | 76.9 |
| 2015 | 190 | 75.9 | 60.3 – 85.6 | 75.9 |
| 2014 | 190 | 75.6 | 59.5 – 85.0 | 75.6 |
| 2013 | 190 | 75.0 | 58.8 – 83.8 | 75.0 |
| 2012 | 190 | 73.8 | 57.8 – 83.8 | 73.8 |
| 2011 | 190 | 73.1 | 57.0 – 83.8 | 73.1 |
| 2010 | 190 | 73.1 | 56.4 – 83.1 | 73.1 |
| 2009 | 190 | 72.5 | 56.4 – 81.9 | 72.5 |
| 2008 | 190 | 71.3 | 55.2 – 81.3 | 71.3 |
| 2007 | 190 | 69.7 | 53.9 – 80.0 | 69.7 |
| 2006 | 190 | 68.8 | 53.8 – 78.8 | 68.8 |
| 2005 | 190 | 67.2 | 53.8 – 78.0 | 67.2 |
| 2004 | 190 | 66.9 | 52.0 – 77.3 | 66.9 |
| 2003 | 190 | 64.7 | 50.8 – 76.3 | 64.7 |
| 2002 | 190 | 63.8 | 50.2 – 73.8 | 63.8 |
| 2001 | 190 | 63.8 | 50.0 – 71.3 | 63.8 |
| 2000 | 190 | 63.1 | 50.0 – 71.1 | 63.1 |
| 1999 | 190 | 62.2 | 49.4 – 70.5 | 62.2 |
| 1998 | 190 | 61.3 | 49.4 – 69.8 | 61.3 |
| 1997 | 190 | 60.6 | 47.8 – 68.8 | 60.6 |
| 1996 | 190 | 60.3 | 47.8 – 67.5 | 60.3 |
| 1995 | 190 | 58.8 | 47.7 – 66.9 | 58.8 |
| 1994 | 190 | 57.8 | 46.9 – 65.6 | 57.8 |
| 1993 | 190 | 57.5 | 46.9 – 64.4 | 57.5 |
| 1992 | 190 | 56.3 | 46.4 – 63.8 | 56.3 |
| 1991 | 190 | 55.0 | 46.4 – 63.1 | 55.0 |
| 1990 | 190 | 55.0 | 45.6 – 62.8 | 55.0 |
| 1989 | 190 | 54.4 | 44.4 – 61.3 | 54.4 |
| 1988 | 190 | 54.1 | 44.4 – 61.3 | 54.1 |
| 1987 | 190 | 53.8 | 43.8 – 61.3 | 53.8 |
| 1986 | 190 | 53.8 | 43.8 – 61.3 | 53.8 |
| 1985 | 190 | 53.4 | 43.8 – 61.3 | 53.4 |
| 1984 | 190 | 52.5 | 42.8 – 61.3 | 52.5 |
| 1983 | 190 | 52.5 | 42.0 – 60.6 | 52.5 |
| 1982 | 190 | 51.9 | 41.4 – 60.6 | 51.9 |
| 1981 | 190 | 51.9 | 41.3 – 60.0 | 51.9 |
| 1980 | 190 | 51.9 | 40.3 – 59.4 | 51.9 |
| 1979 | 190 | 51.3 | 40.0 – 59.2 | 51.3 |
| 1978 | 190 | 50.6 | 40.0 – 58.8 | 50.6 |
| 1977 | 190 | 50.0 | 39.4 – 58.8 | 50.0 |
| 1976 | 190 | 50.0 | 39.4 – 58.1 | 50.0 |
| 1975 | 190 | 49.7 | 38.9 – 58.1 | 49.7 |
| 1974 | 190 | 49.4 | 38.3 – 58.1 | 49.4 |
| 1973 | 190 | 49.4 | 37.7 – 58.1 | 49.4 |
| 1972 | 190 | 48.1 | 36.9 – 55.5 | 48.1 |
| 1971 | 190 | 46.6 | 36.9 – 55.0 | 46.6 |
| 1970 | 190 | 46.3 | 36.4 – 55.6 | 46.3 |
062023 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Madagascar69.4 → 81.3 · 140th → 95th+11.9
Egypt50.6 → 61.9 · 175th → 156th+11.3- Kyrgyzstan76.9 → 86.3 · 116th → 66th+9.4
- Lesotho80.6 → 90.0 · 97th → 53rd+9.4
Mali63.8 → 72.5 · 153rd → 137th+8.8
Declined most
before → after- Afghanistan31.9 → 3.1 · 187th → 190th−28.8
United Arab Emirates82.5 → 73.8 · 84th → 131st−8.8- Nepal80.6 → 75.6 · 97th → 122nd−5.0
Angola79.4 → 76.3 · 106th → 118th−3.1
Bahrain68.1 → 65.0 · 144th → 152nd−3.1
190 countries were measured in both 2023 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Women, Business and the Law in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
Reached 113 times by 15 countries — shared, so no holder is named
100.0
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
Lowest reading on record
3.1
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
Biggest improvement between editions
+32.5
38.1 → 70.6
Biggest decline between editions
−28.8
31.9 → 3.1
Most improved since first measured
+71.9
25.6 → 97.5
At the top most often
23 of 55
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The parts of the index
Inside the number
World Bank Group publishes the parts the headline is built from. Each part’s highest and lowest country, and its middle value.
| Part | Highest | Lowest | Middle country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobility190 countries | 137 countries share 100 | 2 countries share 0 | 100 |
| Workplace190 countries | 124 countries share 100 | 4 countries share 0 | 100 |
| Pay190 countries | 78 countries share 100 | 6 countries share 0 | 75 |
| Marriage190 countries | 107 countries share 100 | 6 countries share 0 | 100 |
| Parenthood190 countries | 37 countries share 100 | 16 countries share 0 | 60 |
| Entrepreneurship190 countries | 98 countries share 100 | 3 countries share 0 | 100 |
| Assets190 countries | 118 countries share 100 | 5 countries share 0 | 100 |
| Pension190 countries | 75 countries share 100 | 22 countries share 25 | 75 |
09The measure
About Women, Business and the Law
Women, Business and the Law measures what a country’s laws actually give women relative to men, across mobility, the workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets and pensions. The World Bank scores the same 190 economies out of 100 on the law in force each year from 1970 to 2023, and again in 2025 — the longest panel on this site.
What the number is: WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity).
What it does not measure
It scores laws as written, not whether they are enforced or followed, and it assumes a woman living in the country's main business city.
10Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
A key statistic for Gender & Equality
“The gap written into the statute book, which a country can close while outcomes lag for a generation.”
- Edition used
- 2026 (data 2025)
- Countries
- 190
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
Moves with
Where Women, Business and the Law is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Women's Empowerment IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women · 114 countries in commonρ 0.77
- Women's Political Empowerment IndexKeyV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 172 countries in commonρ 0.76
- Global Gender Parity IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women · 114 countries in commonρ 0.70
Moves against
Where Women, Business and the Law is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Social Institutions and Gender IndexKeyOECD · 140 countries in commonρ −0.84
- FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness IndexOECD · 104 countries in commonρ −0.68
- Youth Not in Education, Employment or TrainingILO · 96 countries in commonρ −0.65
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 382 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
11Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
More from World Bank Group
12Questions
Women, Business and the Law: questions and answers
Which country has the highest Women, Business and the Law?
14 countries share the highest reading, 100.0, among the 190 compared in 2025, so no single country is named.
Which country has the lowest Women, Business and the Law?
Afghanistan, at 3.1, among the 190 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Women, Business and the Law cover?
190 in 2025.
What is the world average Women, Business and the Law?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 190 compared in 2025, the figure was 81.3.
Is this World Bank Group’s own ranking?
No. World Bank Group publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Women, Business and the Law published?
This site holds 55 editions, describing 1970 to 2025.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From World Bank Group, under CC BY 4.0. From the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law dataset. All eight legal areas are stored alongside the headline index, which is simply their mean. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
13Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Women, Business and the Law — World Bank Group
From the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law dataset. All eight legal areas are stored alongside the headline index, which is simply their mean.
Newest edition
Report year 2026Data year 2025
Cite the source as: World Bank. Women, Business and the Law. Washington, DC: World Bank Group.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-08-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- World Bank Group ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Women, Business and the Law by country: Women, Business and the Law, data from World Bank Group. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/women-business-law