Afghanistan has ranked last among 181 countries in the latest Women, Peace and Security Index published by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, recording the poorest performance on women’s rights.
Denmark ranked first.
According to the report, one in five women in the 10 lowest-ranked countries, including Afghanistan, has experienced violence by an intimate partner.
Countries such as South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Central African Republic and Yemen ranked just above Afghanistan.
The index analyses 13 indicators measuring women’s status worldwide. In the lowest-ranked countries, more than half of women say they do not feel safe in their communities.
Nearly three in four women in those countries live close to armed conflict. New data show that about one in six people globally is exposed to conflict.
The report says setbacks in women’s rights have coincided with a rise in conflict and violence. In 2024, more than 676 million women worldwide were living near conflict, a 74% increase compared with 2010 and the highest number and proportion recorded to date.
Armed conflict disproportionately affects women and vulnerable groups, worsening violence and reversing gains in women’s rights.
Proximity to conflict also undermines women’s wellbeing. Countries that perform worst on the index, including Afghanistan, also score poorly on other indicators.
On average, those countries rank lowest for access to justice and record a maternal mortality ratio of 226 deaths per 100,000 live births, worse than the global average.
Levels of targeted political violence against women in these countries, including Afghanistan, are three times the global average, the report said.
