The new global Women, Peace and Security Index, released at the end of October at the United Nations, has placed Slovenia as the fourth-best country for women out of the 153 countries.

A new report has found that Slovenia is the fourth-best country for women. (photo: Nea Culpa d.o.o.)

The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index, developed by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) and the Peace Research Institute Of Oslo (PRIO), is structured around three basic dimensions of women’s well-being: inclusion, justice and security. It looks at everything from women’s education and financial inclusion, to cell phone use, discrimination and violence.

Slovenia placed fourth in the ranking, with top scores in women’s financial inclusion and cellphone use. The index also reveals that women are generally highly educated in Slovenia, and a vast majority of women perceived their communities to be safe.

Overall, the best countries for women are Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Slovenia, Spain, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Singapore, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom. The United States ranked No. 22, in part due to having no legal mandate for equal pay nor legally guaranteed paid maternity leave.

At the bottom of the list are Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Mali, Sudan, Niger, Lebanon, Cameroon and Chad.

The index is to be updated every two years.

The chart below shows countries ranked by quality of women’s lives in 2017 (0 = worst, 1 = best).

(Infographics by Statista)

Slovenia is a top country to be a woman. (photo: Nea Culpa d.o.o.)