V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · Women's Political Empowerment Index
Women's political empowerment by country
How free, organised and represented are women in political life?
Denmark placed first of the 176 countries compared in 2025, at 0.954, and Afghanistan last, at 0.028. In the middle country the figure was 0.772. Among the 163 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 0.589 to 0.772.
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Women's political empowerment · 2025
Key statistic · Gender & Equality
Highest of 176Denmark
0.954012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 176 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: Gf uip · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3Photo: Marcin Szala · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2025
- 176
Afghanistan0.028 - 175
Eritrea0.151 - 174
Yemen0.161
Positions out of 176. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Seychelles0.908 - Americas
Jamaica0.929 - Asia
Taiwan0.903 - EuropeDenmark0.954
- Oceania
New Zealand0.937 - Every region
02Every measured country
Women's political empowerment 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.
- 0.028–0.555
- 0.556–0.712
- 0.715–0.810
- 0.811–0.882
- 0.883–0.954
- No reading in 2025
- Europe
0.904
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Denmark0.954
Russia0.546Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
0.810
the middle country, of 27 measured · 48 members
Jamaica0.929
Haiti0.403Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Africa
0.704
the middle country, of 55 measured · 55 members
Seychelles0.908Eritrea0.151Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Oceania
0.695
the middle country, of 6 measured · 21 members
New Zealand0.937
Papua New Guinea0.480Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Asia
0.646
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
Taiwan0.903Afghanistan0.028Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
0.929
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Belgium0.952
Luxembourg0.896Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
0.927
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Denmark0.954
United Kingdom0.838Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Southern Europe
0.893
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Spain0.943
Kosovo0.771Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
0.878
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Czechia0.930Russia0.546Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Caribbean
0.849
the middle country, of 6 measured · 24 members
Jamaica0.929Haiti0.403Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- South America
0.814
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Chile0.913
Paraguay0.669Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Southern Africa
0.809
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Namibia0.855
Eswatini0.391Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Eastern Asia
0.806
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Taiwan0.903
North Korea0.290Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
0.747
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Philippines0.810
Myanmar0.330Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Central America
0.742
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica0.907
Nicaragua0.531Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Western Africa
0.720
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Benin0.882
Guinea-Bissau0.502Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Eastern Africa
0.691
the middle country, of 19 measured · 19 members
Seychelles0.908Eritrea0.151Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Central Asia
0.643
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kyrgyzstan0.733
Tajikistan0.431Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Middle Africa
0.625
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe0.843
Equatorial Guinea0.449Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Northern Africa
0.586
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Tunisia0.765
Sudan0.219Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Western Asia
0.568
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Armenia0.875Yemen0.161Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Southern Asia
0.537
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Nepal0.792Afghanistan0.028Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand0.937
Australia0.906Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Vanuatu0.715Papua New Guinea0.480Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada0.872
United States0.829Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
176 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 0.772; a quarter are above 0.872, and a quarter below 0.607. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 176 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Two-thirds of the index is about freedoms and civil society, not seats: a country with many women in parliament but restricted civil liberties can still read low. It does not cover economic outcomes such as pay or employment, which other statistics on this site measure.
Showing 25 of 176 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2025 · 36 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 1990, all of them re-estimated together in V-Dem's v16 release. Representation can jump with a single election or a quota law, while civil liberties and civil society tend to move more slowly.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 163 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 176 | 0.772 | 0.607 – 0.872 | 0.772 |
| 2024 | 176 | 0.775 | 0.606 – 0.869 | 0.775 |
| 2023 | 176 | 0.776 | 0.605 – 0.879 | 0.776 |
| 2022 | 176 | 0.783 | 0.609 – 0.876 | 0.783 |
| 2021 | 176 | 0.779 | 0.623 – 0.877 | 0.779 |
| 2020 | 176 | 0.776 | 0.630 – 0.864 | 0.776 |
| 2019 | 176 | 0.767 | 0.636 – 0.865 | 0.767 |
| 2018 | 176 | 0.772 | 0.626 – 0.867 | 0.772 |
| 2017 | 176 | 0.771 | 0.634 – 0.860 | 0.773 |
| 2016 | 175 | 0.778 | 0.618 – 0.858 | 0.778 |
| 2015 | 176 | 0.776 | 0.625 – 0.854 | 0.776 |
| 2014 | 176 | 0.780 | 0.625 – 0.853 | 0.782 |
| 2013 | 176 | 0.773 | 0.623 – 0.853 | 0.771 |
| 2012 | 175 | 0.774 | 0.625 – 0.861 | 0.774 |
| 2011 | 175 | 0.765 | 0.618 – 0.853 | 0.765 |
| 2010 | 174 | 0.761 | 0.614 – 0.855 | 0.760 |
| 2009 | 174 | 0.752 | 0.600 – 0.855 | 0.746 |
| 2008 | 174 | 0.751 | 0.606 – 0.852 | 0.740 |
| 2007 | 174 | 0.738 | 0.590 – 0.853 | 0.732 |
| 2006 | 174 | 0.729 | 0.582 – 0.853 | 0.720 |
| 2005 | 172 | 0.735 | 0.589 – 0.851 | 0.731 |
| 2004 | 172 | 0.720 | 0.570 – 0.843 | 0.716 |
| 2003 | 171 | 0.716 | 0.565 – 0.841 | 0.715 |
| 2002 | 169 | 0.715 | 0.566 – 0.844 | 0.710 |
| 2001 | 171 | 0.695 | 0.546 – 0.836 | 0.695 |
| 2000 | 171 | 0.681 | 0.537 – 0.838 | 0.681 |
| 1999 | 171 | 0.669 | 0.499 – 0.815 | 0.670 |
| 1998 | 171 | 0.658 | 0.500 – 0.813 | 0.668 |
| 1997 | 170 | 0.657 | 0.496 – 0.805 | 0.658 |
| 1996 | 170 | 0.646 | 0.496 – 0.800 | 0.651 |
| 1995 | 170 | 0.641 | 0.495 – 0.792 | 0.645 |
| 1994 | 170 | 0.642 | 0.465 – 0.792 | 0.644 |
| 1993 | 170 | 0.633 | 0.459 – 0.784 | 0.633 |
| 1992 | 168 | 0.623 | 0.452 – 0.756 | 0.625 |
| 1991 | 168 | 0.604 | 0.429 – 0.759 | 0.607 |
| 1990 | 166 | 0.587 | 0.419 – 0.743 | 0.589 |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → afterDeclined most
before → after- Guinea-Bissau0.583 → 0.502 · 139th → 153rd−0.081
Bangladesh0.610 → 0.537 · 131st → 146th−0.073
Uganda0.707 → 0.636 · 108th → 127th−0.071
Thailand0.748 → 0.688 · 98th → 115th−0.060
Portugal0.862 → 0.811 · 48th → 70th−0.051
176 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Women's political empowerment in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
0.961
Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
Lowest reading on record
0.021
Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
Biggest improvement between editions
+0.557
0.265 → 0.822
Biggest decline between editions
−0.447
0.494 → 0.047
Most improved since first measured
+0.581
0.249 → 0.830
At the top most often
30 of 36
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About women's political empowerment
V-Dem's Women's Political Empowerment Index asks how far women can take part in political life, averaging three things equally: women's basic civil liberties, their open participation in civil society and political discussion, and their presence in legislatures and other political office. It runs from 0 to 1, and a higher figure means more empowerment.
What the number is: Women's political empowerment index (0–1).
What it does not measure
It covers political standing only; women's pay, employment and education are measured elsewhere.
09Where 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
“Political power held by women in practice — their civil liberties, their part in civil society and their share of political office — where the law and custom keys measure the rules they live under.”
- Edition used
- 2025 (data 2025)
- Countries
- 176
- Licence
- CC BY-SA 4.0
Moves with
Where women's political empowerment is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Egalitarian Democracy IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.89
- Voice and AccountabilityWorld Bank Group · 175 countries in commonρ 0.87
- Participatory Democracy IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.85
Moves against
Where women's political empowerment is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Neopatrimonial Rule IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ −0.80
- Exclusion by Socio-Economic GroupV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 174 countries in commonρ −0.77
- Informal Employment RateILO · 86 countries in commonρ −0.72
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 379 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
More from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
11Questions
Women's political empowerment: questions and answers
Which country has the highest women's political empowerment?
Denmark, at 0.954, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest women's political empowerment?
Afghanistan, at 0.028, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Women's Political Empowerment Index cover?
176 in 2025. The number measured varies from 166 to 176 between editions.
What is the world average women's political empowerment?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 176 compared in 2025, the figure was 0.772.
Is this V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s own ranking?
No. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg 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's Political Empowerment Index published?
This site holds 36 reference years, 1990–2025, all recalculated in V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s 2026 report on one method — not 36 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1789; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Women's Political Empowerment Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1789; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: Coppedge, M. et al. V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v16. Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project, University of Gothenburg.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-26.
How this page reads the numbers
- V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg 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.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Denmark — User:Aconcagua, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Belgium — Gf uip, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Latvia — Marcin Szala, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Women's political empowerment by country: Women's Political Empowerment Index, data from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/womens-political-empowerment