ALMATY – Kazakhstan ranked highest among Central Asian countries in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index 2025/26, placing 72nd out of 181 countries globally with a score of 0.722, according to a report released by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) and the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).
Photo credit: The Astana Times
The index evaluates countries based on women’s inclusion, justice and security, measuring factors such as political participation, access to education and financial services, legal discrimination, maternal mortality, domestic violence and perceptions of safety.
The final score ranges from zero to one, with one representing the highest level of women’s inclusion, justice and security. Thus, Kazakhstan outperformed most countries of the region, as well as Türkiye, China, Israel and Russia in the global ranking.
Central Asia shows uneven results
Across Central Asia, the rankings reflected significant differences in women’s wellbeing, safety and opportunities.
Kazakhstan recorded the strongest result in the region, followed by the Kyrgyz Republic, which ranked 85th globally with a score of 0.697. Tajikistan placed 89th with 0.685, while Uzbekistan ranked 98th with 0.674.
The report suggests that while Central Asian states have made progress in expanding women’s access to education and healthcare, disparities remain in political participation, economic inclusion and protection from violence.
Among the Commonwealth of Independent States countries overall, Armenia ranked highest, taking 56th place globally with a score of 0.762, followed by Belarus in 63rd place with 0.739.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan ranked 111th globally with a score of 0.653, becoming one of the lowest-performing states in the region.
Nordic countries dominate global rankings
Globally, Nordic countries continued to dominate the rankings. Denmark topped the index with a score of 0.939, followed by Iceland at 0.932 and Norway at 0.924.
The global top ten also included Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria and New Zealand. The United States ranked 31st with a score of 0.840.
Afghanistan recorded the world’s lowest score at 0.279, preceded by Yemen at 0.323 and the Central African Republic at 0.362.
