A version of this story is part of our November 2019 special issue of National Geographic magazine, “Women: A Century of Change.” Read more stories here.

No country has it all when it comes to gender equality, but some places are better than others to be a woman. The Women, Peace and Security Index seeks to understand these global differences by measuring women’s inclusion in society, sense of security, and exposure to discrimination—key indicators of how women are faring. The latest data show that some of the worst countries for women have achieved gains, even as some of the best are lagging in crucial areas. (Read the feature story here.)

National Geographic partnered with the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security to illustrate the 2019 index.

MEASURING EMPOWERMENT 11 WAYS Three main categories—inclusion, security, and justice—are broken down into 11 subcategories to assess women’s empowerment around the world. Inclusion Women’s level of participation in economic, social, and political opportunities Representation in government Percentage of legislative seats held by women Cell phone use Females age 15 and older who have access to a mobile phone Employment Women age 25 and older who are engaged in paid work Financial access Use of a banking app or other type of account among females age 15 and older Education Average years of education among women 25 and older SECURITY Sense of safety and exposure to violence Intimate partner violence Physically harmed or sexually assaulted in past year by a partner Community safety Females 15 years and older who report feeling safe while walking alone at night Organized violence Deaths caused by large-scale armed conflicts, per 100,000 people JUSTICE Experience of formal and informal discrimination Discriminatory norms Males 15 years and older who say it’s unacceptable for women to hold paying jobs Son bias When the ratio of boys’ to girls’ births exceeds the natural rate Legal discrimination Laws limiting women’s participation in society or differentiating between men and women EACH NATION’S OVERALL SCORE The 11 measures are combined to yield each nation’s overall score. Differences between countries can be wide, but no country attains a perfect 1 ranking or scores 0. Best Worst 0 No data 1 Range shown on map Norway 0.9 United States 0.85 Yemen 0.35 THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY INDEX RANKING Nations are ranked by their overall index score. The 11 subcategories are scored from 1 (best, blue) to 0 (worst, red). Best Worst 0 1 SECUrity Justice Inclusion COUNTRIES RANKED BY OVERALL SCORE Repeated numbers indicate tie Map Color Women in Estonia receive an average of 14 years of education—nearly double the global average. MEASURING EMPOWERMENT 11 WAYS Three main categories—inclusion, security, and justice—are broken down into 11 subcategories to assess women’s empowerment around the world. Inclusion Women’s level of participation in economic, social, and political opportunities Representation in government Cell phone use Employment Financial access Education SECURITY Sense of safety and exposure to violence Intimate partner violence Community safety Organized violence JUSTICE Experience of formal and informal discrimination Discriminatory norms Son bias Legal discrimination EACH NATION’S OVERALL SCORE The 11 measures are combined to yield each nation’s overall score. Differences between countries can be wide, but no country attains a perfect 1 ranking or scores 0. Best Worst No data 1 0 Range shown on map THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY INDEX RANKING Nations are ranked by their overall index score, and the three main categories are scored from 1 (best, blue) to 0 (worst, red). Best Worst 1 0 Countries RANKED by overall SCORE Repeated numbers indicate tie Inclusion SECUrity Justice SEE ALL COUNTRIES Israel has climbed 46 places on the index, in part because of de-escalation of political conflict since 2017. Turkmenistan’s financial access rates have jumped from one percent to 36 percent since 2017. A new law in Moldova includes two weeks’ paid paternity leave and a ban on sexist ads in media. In Bahrain a new mandate says a woman can go out of her home only with her husband’s permission. In Iran financial inclusion ranks high: More than 90 percent of women have a banking or other type of account. . In South Sudan at least 47 percent of women experienced intimate partner violence in the past year. Afghanistan reserves 27 percent of legislative seats for women, surpassing the global average. AIMING FOR INCLUSION MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD Developed Economies (27)* Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Women’s level of inclusion in economic, social, and political spheres is a critical measure of a country’s basic human rights. Countries such as Rwanda, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Armenia, and Benin have recently made notable gains in women’s education, financial access, or representation in the national legislature. East Asia and the Pacific Latin America and the Caribbean South Asia Middle East and North Africa Sub-Saharan Africa *27 COUNTRIES PER GEORGETOWN DATA SET, BASED ON UN CRITERIA Sweden 0.87 United States 0.75 China 0.66 Yemen 0.14 Afghanistan 0.35 Niger 0.34 Namibia 0.7 Inclusion index Best Worst 0.9 0.1 No data Representation in government The average share of women in national legislatures is 21.5 percent worldwide. At the current pace, it will take 52 years to reach gender parity. Cell phone use Phones can expand access to economic opportunities and promote independence. Global average Number of countries 59 80.9 91.3 100% 27 0 47 32 Finland, Kuwait, Libya, U.A.E. South Sudan United States 18 8 2 1 0% 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-49 50+ Women in national legislatures Education Many countries have excellent rates of completion for girls at the primary school level but fall short in the quality of secondary school education and graduation rates. One country United States Global average 7.6 10 13.4 15 0 years 5 Developed Economies Portugal Germany Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Turkey Estonia East Asia and the Pacific Timor-Leste Hong Kong, China Latin America and the Caribbean Haiti Argentina Middle East and North Africa Yemen United Arab Emirates South Asia Bhutan Sri Lanka Sub-Saharan Africa Burkina Faso South Africa Global averages 65.1 49.4 100% 0 Financial Access Two out of every three women worldwide hold some form of financial account. Only one in 10 does in conflict-ridden countries. United States Norway Developed Economies Employment The global gender gap in employment spans 30 percentage points, with exceptions: Ninety-three percent of Rwandan women work. Women not in paid work with access to financial accounts Working women with access to financial accounts Working women without access to financial accounts Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia East Asia and the Pacific Latin America and the Caribbean Women in war-torn Yemen have the world’s lowest level of financial inclusion (1.7 percent) and employment (5.3 percent). Middle East and North Africa South Asia Some 35 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa are not covered by 3G+ networks, which inhibits mobile banking in countries where norms favor male control of female incomes. Rwanda Sub-Saharan Africa Mauritius Aiming for Inclusion MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD Women’s level of inclusion in economic, social, and political spheres is a critical measure of a country’s basic human rights. Countries such as Rwanda, Moldo- va, Turkmenistan, Armenia, and Benin have recently made notable gains in women’s education, financial access, or representation in the national legislature. Inclusion index Best Worst 0.9 0.1 No data Representation in government Percentage of legislative seats held by women The average share of women in national legislatures is 21.5 percent worldwide. At the current pace, it will take 52 years to reach gender parity. Number of countries 59 47 32 18 8 2 1 0% 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-49 50+ Women in parliament Employment Women age 25 and older who are engaged in paid work The global gender gap in employment spans 30 percentage points, with exceptions: Ninety-three percent of Rwandan women work. Developed Economies 49.4 Global average 0% 100 United States Norway Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Tajikistan Kazakhstan East Asia and the Pacific Timor-Leste Laos Latin America and the Caribbean Guyana Peru Middle East and North Africa Yemen Kuwait South Asia Iran Nepal Sub-Saharan Africa Somalia Rwanda Women in war-torn Yemen have the world’s lowest level of financial inclusion (1.7 percent) and employment (5.3 percent). Cell phone Use Women age 15 and older who have access to a mobile phone Phones can expand access to economic opportunities and promote independence. Global average 27 81 100 91 0% South Sudan United States Finland, Kuwait, Libya, U.A.E. Education Average years of education among women 25 and older Many countries have excellent rates of completion for girls at the primary school level but fall short in the quality of secondary school education and graduation rates. One country Global average United States Developed Economies 7.6 10 13.4 15 0 years 5 Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia East Asia and the Pacific Estonia Latin America and the Caribbean Middle East and North Africa South Asia Sub-Saharan Africa Burkina Faso Financial Inclusion Women 15 and older who use a banking app or have another type of account Two out of every three women worldwide hold some form of financial account. Only one in 10 do in conflict- ridden countries. Global average United States Developed Economies 65.1 0% 100 Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Azerbaijan Estonia East Asia and the Pacific Cambodia Mongolia Latin America and the Caribbean El Salvador Jamaica Middle East and North Africa Yemen U.A.E. South Asia Pakistan Iran Sub-Saharan Africa South Sudan Mauritius Some 35 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa are not covered by 3G+ networks, which inhibits mobile banking in countries where norms favor male control of female incomes. SECURING SAFETY BREAKING FREE OF VIOLENCE Large-scale conflicts can normalize violence against women within their homes and communities. Such general insecurity can promote a hypermasculine culture, which has widespread repercussions for women. Organized Violence Deaths from war or other armed conflicts have declined worldwide for the fourth consecutive year since 2014. Intimate Partner Violence About 379 million women experienced intimate partner violence in 2018. Yearly rates are a third higher in conflict-affected countries. Share of women experiencing intimate partner violence Deaths per 100,000 people 0.9% 47% No data 6-50 51+ 1-5 Syria still has the world’s highest level of violence—even after the conflict de-escalated from 2016 to 2018, halving the death rate. Conflict in Afghanistan has contributed to a staggering prevalence of intimate partner violence, affecting nearly one in two women. Perception of community safety Fewer than 25 percent of women feel safe at night in Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, and Botswana. A lack of security makes women less willing to commute to opportunities outside home. “Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?” Female response Yes No 100% Turkmenistan Singapore Somalia United States United Arab Emirates Hong Kong, China Global average 63.8 India Honduras Afghanistan Botswana Venezuela Syria 0 Developed Economies Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia East Asia and the Pacific Latin America and the Caribbean Middle East and North Africa South Asia Sub-Saharan Africa Securing safety Breaking free of violence Large-scale conflicts can normalize vio- lence against women within their homes and communities. Such general insecurity can promote a hypermascu- line culture, which has widespread repercussions for women. Highest Lowest No data Intimate Partner Violence Physically harmed or sexually assaulted in past year by a partner About 254 million women experienced intimate partner violence in 2018. Yearly rates are a third higher in conflict-affected countries. Community Safety Women 15 years and older who report feeling safe while walking alone at night Fewer than one in four women feel safe at night in Afghanistan, Syria, Venezu- ela, and Botswana. A lack of security limits women’s willingness to commute to opportunities outside the home. “Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?” Female response: Agree Disagree Global average Developed Economies 63.8 0% 100 United States Singapore Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Ukraine Turkmenistan East Asia and the Pacific Mongolia Hong Kong, China Latin America and the Caribbean Venezuela Honduras Middle East and North Africa Syria United Arab Emirates South Asia Afghanistan India Sub-Saharan Africa Botswana Somalia Organized Violence Deaths caused by large-scale armed conflicts, per 100,000 people Deaths due to organized violence have declined worldwide for the fourth consecutive year since 2014. Number of countries 96 53 10 6 2 0 0.1-1 1-5 6-50 51+ Deaths per 100,000 people Syria still has the world’s highest level of violence—even after the conflict de-escalated from 2016 to 2018, halving the death rate. Conflict in Afghanistan has contributed to a staggering prevalence of intimate partner violence, affecting nearly one in two women. Pursuing equality BALANCING THE SCALES OF JUSTICE Discriminatory gender-based laws and societal prejudice can make it hard for women to own property, open bank accounts, find employment, start businesses, and otherwise participate in society. Even in nations that have laws to protect women, what’s on the books may differ widely from what’s enforced. Legal discrimination Ninety percent of the world’s countries have one or more laws that discriminate against women. In the past two years, how- ever, 118 countries took steps to reduce legal discrimination. One country Global average United States Worst possible Best Developed Economies Singapore United Kingdom Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Uzbekistan Bosnia and Herzegovina East Asia and the Pacific Malaysia Philippines Latin America and the Caribbean Haiti Mexico Middle East and North Africa Saudi Arabia Morocco South Asia Iran Bhutan Sub-Saharan Africa Sudan Cabo Verde Son bias Prenatal sex determination and selective abortion can result in more boys born than girls. One country Azerbaijan United States Armenia Norway India Vietnam China 1.0 1.08 1.15 1.05 1.10 Natural rate of male to female births Highest male bias 115 males born per 100 females One male born for every female Global average Discriminatory norms Nearly 75 percent of men in Pakistan believe it’s unacceptable for women to have a paid job. Disapproval exceeds 50 percent in Bangladesh, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan. “Is it perfectly acceptable for any woman in your family to have a paid job outside the home if she wants one?” Male response Yes No 100% Yemen Pakistan Iraq Bangladesh Libya Afghanistan Turkmenistan Indonesia Niger Global average Canada Haiti Rwanda 19.5 Uruguay United States Estonia 0 Developed Economies Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia East Asia and the Pacific Latin America and the Caribbean Middle East and North Africa South Asia Sub-Saharan Africa Pursuing equality Balancing the scales of justice Discriminatory gender-based laws and societal prejudice can make it hard for women to own property, open bank accounts, find employment, start busi- nesses, and otherwise participate in soci- ety. Even in nations that have laws to protect women, what’s on the books may differ widely from what’s enforced. Legal Discrimination Laws that limit women’s abilities or differentiate between men and women Ninety percent of the world’s countries have one or more laws that discriminate against women. In the last two years, however, 118 countries took measures to reduce legal discrimination. One country Worst possible Best Global average U.S. Developed Economies Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia East Asia and the Pacific East Asia and the Pacific Bosnia & Herzg. Latin America and the Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Middle East and North Africa Middle East and North Africa Saudi Arabia South Asia Sub-Saharan Africa Son Bias A country’s gender ratio at birth versus the natural rate Prenatal sex determination and selective abortion can result in far more boys born than girls. One country Highest male bias 115 males born per 100 females 1.15 China Armenia Azerbaijan Vietnam 1.10 India Global average 1.08 Norway Natural rate of male to female births 1.05 United States One male born for every female 1.0 Discriminatory Norms Men 15 years and older who say it’s unacceptable for women to hold paying jobs Nearly 75 percent of men in Pakistan believe it is unacceptable for women to have a paid job. Disapproval exceeds 50 percent in Bangladesh, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan. “Is it perfectly acceptable for any woman in your family to have a paid job outside the home if she wants one?” Male response: Yes No Developed Economies 19.5 0% Global average 100 United States Canada Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Turkmenistan Estonia East Asia and the Pacific Indonesia Latin America and the Caribbean Haiti Uruguay Middle East and North Africa Yemen South Asia Pakistan Sub-Saharan Africa Niger Rwanda CLICK THE BUTTONS to learn more about each of the four topics. INCLUSION JUSTICE SECURITY OVERALL CLICK THE BUTTONS to learn more about each of the four topics. INCLUSION JUSTICE SECURITY OVERALL Diana Marques and Soren Walljasper, NGM Staff



Living the numbers

When she fled her home in Pakistan last summer, half asleep in her pajamas, Gulalai Ismail wasn’t thinking about the power of data.

She was on the run and escaped to New York, where she’s seeking asylum from what she describes as “death threats, rape threats, acid attack threats, mob-violence threats” stemming from her activism back home with women in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

One of the women weighs heavily on her mind. “She had a small piece of paper with 25 straight lines on it,” Ismail recalls, etched to mark each time security forces came to her home and sexually harassed her. “She said she was an uneducated woman,” but despite her illiteracy, she was creating a record of her abuse.

“That,” says Ismail, “is data.”

The ability to track information, to collect it, to have data readily available—whether scribbled on scrap paper or mined from global databases—has power. Power to embarrass, to highlight success, to spark media coverage, and to pinpoint where change is needed.

To join in the effort to build evidence, National Geographic teamed up with the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the Peace Research Institute Oslo to illustrate their 2019-2020 Women, Peace, and Security Index. The index serves as a kind of report card on women’s well-being, ranking 167 countries from best to worst in three key areas: women’s inclusion in society, sense of security, and access to justice.

Those three areas are broken down into specific categories, such as whether a woman has access to cell phone, feels safe walking home at night, or is surrounded by men who find it unacceptable for her to hold a paying job. Every country has something of a mixed record. The United States as a country ranks #19 overall. The subcategory of government representation—the percentage of legislative seats held by women—helped to lower its score. Mexico's overall country score ranks #103, but it happens to do well when it comes to women holding political seats.

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“This exercise of rating and ranking can be really powerful because countries, like human beings, think in relative terms and compare themselves with others,” says Judith Kelley, author of Scorecard Diplomacy and Dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. “They care about their status and standing, and it can be a really powerful motivator.” She cautions, however, that the measurements—such as gender equality— have to be meaningful to countries and that the data needs to identify actionable solutions.

The index creators see security as one way to show how meaningful women’s rights should be to leaders. Women in countries steeped in conflict face increased risk, but they argue that mounting evidence indicates the flip side may also be true: Countries that don’t protect women are more at risk themselves.

“We know from the preponderance of the data that there is a correlation in societies where this kind of pervasive, gender-based violence can lead to greater instability, can lead to eventual conflict,” says Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute and the former first U.S. ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, nominated in 2009 by President Barack Obama. The denial of women’s rights and the oppression of women, she says, usually follows “a linear track” to instability.

This year marks 25 years since the United Nation’s Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. The conference set forth multiple targets to improve the lives of women around the world. "We're going to be looking at how much progress we've made in those 25 years, and there's been progress, no doubt. Also considerable gaps."

And the simple existence of rankings has power. When meeting with leaders to discuss the index, says Verveer, “the first thing that happens with representatives of governments is they look at the ranking” to see where they stack up.

According to the graphic, a country represented by boxes colored red are doing worse. Those doing better in certain categories appear blue. Each of those boxes, for a government official or a local organizer, can be a call to action, and for someone on the ground, can be public acknowledgement of individual experience. For example, when Ismail first started as an activist as a teen in Pakistan, she and her sister Saba created a group (one that would expand and eventually train Malala Yousafzai) to address the lack of public spaces for girls. She says the boys could play cricket outside, but the girls could only walk by while on the way to school or shopping. “Later we realized as we grew up that it was not just public parks and public spaces which are not accessible,” she says. “It’s actually every place where power belongs.”

Turning to the index with Ismail to look at Pakistan’s section on discriminatory norms, she says, even before looking, “It should be red!” And it is. The country ranks 164 out of 167 countries included in the index.

No matter where a country ranks on the list, there are surprises. “A pattern of unevenness categorizes pretty much all countries,” says Jeni Klugman, managing director of the Georgetown Institute and lead author of the index. “For example, Afghanistan does relatively well in terms of [women’s] political participation.” And Yemen, the lowest on the list, has relatively low levels of intimate partner violence and even son bias, the prenatal sex determination and abortions that can result in more boys than girls born in a country.

“Son bias is basically sex-linked abortion,” says Klugman. “But you need assisted technology to know the sex.” Ironically, in countries like China and India, “as the middle class grew, it [son bias] actually got worse rather than better—people could actually do the ultrasound, find out what the sex was, and have the abortion” if the baby was a girl.

Ranking squarely in the middle of the list is Venezuela. It falls at #84. Norway ranks #1, outstripping Iceland after elections led to the losses of several seats held by women. Had Venezuela only been measured on the dimensions of inclusion and justice, it would jump into the 40s, says Klugman, near Singapore. What pushes it lower on the list is the category of community safety–whether females aged 15 and over report feeling safe while walking home at night.

“When young people want to get together, they go to someone’s house and everyone sleeps over. If you leave after dark, your life is at risk,” says Beatriz Borges, a women’s and human rights activist from Venezuela. “You can be robbed, attacked, or raped with complete impunity,” she says.

The sleepovers are a sort of “cultural prevention” Borges says, to avoid violence. Perhaps the index will help turn those individual and “cultural” efforts into official ones, and those experiences into memories.