Security
Security is measured at the household, community, and societal levels through intimate partner violence, perceptions of community safety, political violence targeting women, and the share of women who live in close proximity to armed conflict.
Intimate Partner Violence
Intimate partner violence rates demonstrate the level of insecurity and harm women experience in intimate relationships. Our Index captures the percentage of ever-partnered women who experienced physical or sexual violence committed by an intimate partner in the 12 months prior to data collection. Source: UN SDG Indicators database.
Values are imputed for United Arab Emirates, Germany, Taiwan, Seychelles, Barbados, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkmenistan, the Russian Federation, Puerto Rico, Kosovo, Mauritius, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Libya, Congo, Lebanon, Djibouti, Iraq, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Madagascar, Somalia, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen. Please see the 2025/26 WPS Index report methodology for more details.
| 2023 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Country Score | Singapore, Switzerland (2%) | Switzerland (1.7%) |
| Worst Country Score | Iraq (45.3%) | Democratic Republic of the Congo (35.6%) |
| Global Average | 12.9% | 12.4% |
Perception of Community Safety
Security and safety in the community affect women’s mobility and opportunities outside the home. Perceptions of safety are heavily influenced by larger trends of conflict and violence, which threaten women’s immediate and long-term well-being. Our Index captures the percentage of women ages 15 years and older who report that they “feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live.”
Source: Gallup World Poll
Values are imputed for Seychelles, Barbados, Grenada, Suriname, Guyana, Cabo Verde, Palau, Fiji, Qatar, Samoa, Tonga, the Marshall Islands, Timor-Leste, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, Vanuatu, São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Papua New Guinea, and Sudan. Please see the 2025/26 WPS Index report methodology for more details.
| 2023 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Country Score | Kuwait (96%) | Singapore (97%) |
| Worst Country Score | Lesotho (21%) | Syrian Arab Republic (17%) |
| Global Average | 64.3% | 66.3% |
Community safety is one of the few indicators on which the Developed Countries group does not perform best. Its score of 65 percent puts it behind the East Asia and the Pacific region, at 84.
Political Violence Targeting Women
Political violence undermines women’s ability to participate in civic spaces and decision-making processes, hindering global democratic and peace processes. The Index measures the number of political violence events targeting women per 100,000 women.
Source: The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project
We did not impute any values for the political violence targeting women indicator in the 2025/26 WPS Index.
| 2023 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Country Score | Multiple (0) | Multiple Countries (0) |
| Worst Country Score | South Sudan (1.18) | Trinidad and Tobago (3.017 ) |
| Global Average | 0.08 | 0.338 |
This indicator does note include intimidation, threats, or online or technology-facilitated gender-based violence, all of which can have serious implications for women’s safety and their ability to participate in politics and in peace and security efforts.
Proximity to Conflict
Armed conflict disproportionately affects women through multiple channels, including higher risks of gender-based violence, livelihood disruptions, worsening education systems, and diminishing healthcare access. Our Index measures the percentage of women who live within 50 kilometers of conflict.
Source: Peace Research Institute Oslo
Values are imputed for Kosovo. Please see the 2025/26 WPS Index report methodology for more details.
| 2023 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Country Score | Multiple (0%) | Multiple Countries (0%) |
| Worst Country Score | Multiple (100%) | Lebanon, Eswatini, Myanmar, Burundi, and Palestine (100%) |
| Global Average | 19% | 21.7% |