Glass-Ceiling Index: Top 10 best countries for working women in 2025

Best Countries for Working Women 2025: International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated annually on March 8, serves as a platform to promote and advance women’s rights while commemorating the significant achievements of women and girls in cultural, political, and socio-economic spheres.

From the political front, 2024 was a historic year for elections, with the OECD observing an average increase in women’s parliamentary representation to 34%, according to the Economist’s latest glass-ceiling index (CGI).

Japan and Britain recorded significant gains, with representation rising to 16% (up from 10%) and 41% (up from 35%), respectively. In contrast, the United States experienced a slight decline, with representation falling to 28.7%.

On the economic front, the report highlighted a rise in the percentage of women on corporate boards, reaching 33%, as well as an increase in women’s labour-force participation, which grew to 66.6%, up from 65.8% the previous year; however, it remains lower compared to men at 81%.

In a notable shift, Sweden secured the top position in the index for 2025, ending Iceland’s two-year reign as the best country for working women.

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While the Nordics continue to excel in the index, attributed largely to their supportive policies for gender equality and working families, New Zealand has notably emerged as the most improved country, climbing eight places to achieve fifth position.

Ranked: Top 10 best countries for working women in 2025

Rank	Country	Region
1	France	Europe
2	Spain	Europe
3	Australia	Oceania
4	Sweden	Europe
5	Portugal	Europe
6	Norway	Europe
7	Finland	Europe
8	Denmark	Europe
9	New Zealand	Oceania
10	Iceland	Europe

Source: The Economist 2025 Glass-Ceiling Index

Methodology: Evaluated the working conditions for women across the OECD – which is a group of 29 nations and ranked it based on ten-point criteria, like labour force participation, salary levels, paid parental leave, and political representation.

The United States, Britain, and New Zealand are the countries that have improved the most, while the Czech Republic and Belgium are among those that have lost ground from the previous year. (Credit: The Economist)

In a contrasting shift, South Korea has moved up from its long-standing position at the bottom of the rankings to 28th place, marking its first improvement in 11 years, resulting in Turkey now holding the lowest ranking.

Standing at the bottom—Japan, Turkey, and South Korea—are influenced by deep-rooted societal norms and a persistent wage gap, which contribute to the under-representation of women in leadership roles.

Currently, all three nations reflect low numbers of women in management (under 17%), in parliamentary roles (less than 20%), and on corporate boards (below 21%).

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