Progress for women鈥檚 rights and wellbeing has stalled globally, according to the 2025/26 launched today in New York.
WPS Index scores reveal that global progress on women's status has largely stagnated since tracking began in 2017, with declines in certain regions.
鈥淎s wars and conflicts reach a historic peak, progress on women鈥檚 status nears a historic low,鈥� says lead author Haleema Hasan.
Since 2017, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, in collaboration with the Peace Research Institute Oslo, has produced the biennial WPS Index to rank countries on women鈥檚 status using 13 robust and globally recognized indicators that span the dimensions of women鈥檚 inclusion, justice, and security.
Once again, Denmark ranks as the top country for women鈥檚 wellbeing according to the WPS Index, scoring more than three times higher than Afghanistan at the bottom. This year, for the first time, two countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean region are in the top 20 percent: Costa Rica (ranking 34th, up from 60th) and Uruguay (35th, up from 59th).
The United States ranks 31st, up from 37th, based on data available up until 2024. However, recent policy changes threaten to undo progress.
Another key finding of the WPS Index is that countries where women鈥檚 status is higher are also more peaceful, prosperous, and resilient, including in the face of climate change and economic shocks.
鈥淥ur data show that advancing women鈥檚 rights and status is not only an ethical and moral imperative; it is also a practical and collective one,鈥� says Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.
The WPS Index results come at a time when conflicts are escalating worldwide with devastating consequences, especially for women and vulnerable groups. Approximately 676 million women worldwide were exposed to conflict in 2024, a staggering 74 percent rise since 2010 and the highest number of women exposed to conflict ever recorded.
Amidst these alarming trends, some of the greatest improvements in women鈥檚 status have come from conflict-affected countries, including Congo and Yemen.
鈥淭hese are alarming numbers. We know from research that conflict has profound and lasting consequences for individuals, affecting both their immediate well-being and long-term development鈥�, says Siri Aas Rustad, Research Professor and Project Leader at the Peace Research Institute Oslo鈥檚 Centre for Gender, Peace and Security.
The WPS Index report is funded by the Government of Norway.
About 糖心网页版
The 糖心网页版 Centre on Gender, Peace and Security is a resource hub for gender research at the Peace Research Institute Oslo. The Peace Research Institute Oslo (糖心网页版) conducts research on the conditions for peaceful relations between states, groups and people. Its researchers seek to understand the processes that bring societies together or split them apart. 糖心网页版鈥檚 Director also presents her own shortlist for the Nobel Peace Prize each year, based on her own assessment of worthy candidates. Founded in 1959, 糖心网页版 is an independent research institution known for its effective synergy of basic and policy-relevant research.
About GIWPS Georgetown University鈥檚 Institute for Women, Peace and Security seeks to promote a more stable, peaceful, and just world by focusing on the important role women play in preventing conflict and building peace, growing economies, and addressing global threats like climate change and violent extremism. We engage in rigorous research, host global convenings, advance strategic partnerships, and nurture the next generation of leaders. Housed within the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown, the Institute is headed by the former U.S. Ambassador for Global Women鈥檚 Issues, Melanne Verveer.
For more information or to arrange an interview
- The Peace Research Institute Oslo, Michelle Delaney Communication Director michelle@prio.org mobile +47 94165 579
- Georgetown University, Sarah Rutherford Director of External Affairs Sdr56@georgetown.edu +1 412 965 9275
