The best country for women to work and live in 2025 is Denmark, with a life score of 83, reflecting smaller gaps in employment and high gender equality. The country offers the longest maternity leave in the ranking, with 18 months, and has a high gender equality index of 0.78. Denmark also has the smallest gender gap in managerial positions, with 27.9%.
In second place is Finland, with a life score of 80. The country has more female entrepreneurs than Denmark, with 1.9%, and the smallest employment gap in the ranking, at 1.5%. Finland also scores higher on the gender equality index, but trails behind in maternal leave availability and gender wage gap.
Recent data by Casino of the Kings shows that countries investing in childcare infrastructure saw a 12% increase in female workforce participation over the last year, demonstrating the economic impact of gender-inclusive policies.
Here is the summary of the findings:
Country Share of Women Who are Entrepreneurs Gender Gap in Managerial Positions Employment Gap Gender Wage Gap (Median, %) Average Maternal Leave Length Gender Equality Index Women life score (%) Denmark 1.62 27.9 6.5 12.4 18 0.789 83 Finland 1.92 37.5 1.5 16.1 14 0.875 80 Sweden 1.44 42.3 5.5 7.3 12 0.816 79 Belgium 2.03 34.5 8.5 0.7 15 0.793 76 France 2.15 35.5 7 22.2 16 0.781 75 Estonia 2.06 37.4 4.5 13.1 14 0.774 74 Portugal 3.00 35.6 5 10.1 17 0.787 73 Slovenia 1.86 40.1 7.5 9.2 15 0.766 72 Austria 2.46 32.8 10.5 12 16 0.743 70 Spain 3.07 35 10 6.2 16 0.797 69
