Women, Peace and Security Index 2025/26: Denmark Ranks First, India 131st, US 31st

Key facts

• The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index 2025-26 by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and the Peace Research Institute Oslo ranks 181 countries globally.
• Retaining its top position since 2023, Denmark ranks No. 1, leading as the best country for a woman, while Afghanistan sits at the bottom of the WPS Index.
• India ranks at the 131st position with a 0.607 score in the WPS Index, which shows that the country is making steady gains but uneven progress.
• The United States rose up six spots—from 37th to 31st this year, largely driven by the country’s first-ever improvement recorded in maternal mortality rate in almost two decades, based on data up until the end of 2024.
• The WPS Index measures women’s status across three key dimensions: inclusion, justice, and security.
• About 676 million women around the world have been exposed to conflict in the past year, a 74 per cent rise since 2010, according to a recent report.