Women’s ranking: Iraq 123rd globally, 11th in Arab world

Shafaq News/ Iraq ranked 123rd out of 156 countries and 11th among Arab nations in the 2025 list of the world’s best countries for women, according to a new report by CEOWORLD magazine.

The country scored 68.73 out of 100, falling behind most of its regional peers. Saudi Arabia led the Arab rankings, followed by Oman, Jordan, the UAE, Algeria, Sudan, and Qatar. Kuwait came in 8th, Lebanon 9th, Libya 10th, Iraq 11th, Egypt 12th, Tunisia 13th, and Bahrain 14th.

Globally, the Netherlands topped the list with a score of 99.7, followed by Norway (99.4), Sweden (99.2), and Denmark (97.8). Eight of the top ten countries are in Europe, including Finland (5th), Switzerland (7th), France (9th), and Germany (10th). Canada (6th) and New Zealand (8th) also made the top ten.

At the bottom of the list were the Central African Republic and Somalia.

CEOWORLD evaluated countries based on nine criteria, including women’s empowerment, gender equality, representation in legislatures, safety perceptions, income parity, human rights protections, education, employment, and overall inclusion in society.