Justice
Justice captures both formal and informal sources of discrimination. It includes the absence of legal discrimination against women, access to justice, maternal mortality, and bias in favor of sons.
Absence of Legal Discrimination
Discriminatory laws have adverse repercussions, making it harder for women to own property, open bank accounts, start a business, or take a job and enter professions restricted to men. Our Index captures the aggregate score for laws and regulations that limit women’s ability to participate in society and the economy or that differentiate between men and women. Possible scores range from 0-100, with 100 indicating a fully equal legal code.
Source: World Bank, Women Business, and the Law
Access to Justice
While the absence of legal discrimination indicator measures women’s rights in the law, the access to justice indicator captures women’s ability to exercise these rights in practice. On a scale of zero to four, countries are scored on the extent to which women are able to bring cases to court, seek fair trials, and obtain legal redress when their rights are violated.
Source: V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy)
| 2023 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Country Score | Denmark (3.96) | Denmark (3.96) |
| Worst Country Score | Albania (0.37) | Nicaragua (0.097) |
| Global Average | 2.27 | 2.2 |
Nicaragua’s score plunged 85 percent from its score of 0.659 on the 2023/24 WPS Index, a substantial drop that may reflect the deterioration of judicial independence following the February 2025 constitutional reforms driven by President Daniel Ortega.
Maternal Mortality
Maternal mortality is a key indicator of women’s access to healthcare and the responsiveness of the healthcare system to their needs. Our Index captures the number of pregnancy-related maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
Source: United Nations Department of Social and Economic Affairs
| 2023 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Country Score | Belarus (1.1 deaths per 100,000 live births) | Belarus and Norway (1 death per 100,000 live births) |
| Worst Country Score | South Sudan (1,233 deaths per 100,000 live births) | Nigeria (993 deaths per 100,000 live births) |
| Global Average | 212 deaths per 100,000 live births | 188.3 deaths per 100,000 live births |
South Sudan, which was the worst- performing country on this indicator in the last WPS Index with 1,223 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, has nearly halved that number to 692. South Sudan’s improvement may be attributed to the gradual increase in midwife training throughout the country, supported by organizational efforts such as the establishment of the Catholic Health Training Institute in 201018 and UNFPA support of mobile health clinics and community outreach programs that provide perinatal care. Additional efforts are ongoing, with the World Health Organization (WHO) and South Sudan’s Ministry of Health collaborating in 2024 to develop guidelines and training resources on maternal health for healthcare workers.
Son Bias
Son bias reflects a preference for boys, which indicates serious discrimination against girls and women. Our Index captures the extent to which the sex ratio at birth (number of male births per 100 female births) exceeds the natural demographic rate of 1.05.
Source: United Nations Department of Social and Economic Affairs
| 2023 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Country Score | Namibia, Zambia (101.1) | Namibia and Zambia (101.1) |
| Worst Country Score | Azerbaijan (112.2) | Azerbaijan (111.3) |
| Global Average | 105.7 | 105.5 |