If you are searching for the safest countries for women, first separate women's safetyfrom general “safest countries” lists or Global Peace Index (GPI) safety. The WPS Index measures women's status and wellbeing through inclusion, justice, and women-specific violence; it is not a general peacefulness score and does not turn a country into a personal safety recommendation.
Read this ranking with care
Women's safety is not the same as general country safety or a Global Peace Index ranking. This is a structural national index, not lived day-to-day or personal safety advice. A high score does not guarantee any individual's safety.
This is a structural national index, not personal safety advice. Conditions vary significantly by region, city, and individual circumstances. Check your government's official travel advisory and local laws affecting women (including dress, movement, and LGBTQ+ status) before relocating or travelling.
Quick answer
Within this verified subset, Denmark has the highest WPS Index 2025/26 score at 0.939 and global rank 1. That means it scores highest among the rows shown here on this structural national measure; it does not mean every city, situation, or person will experience the same level of safety.
Key facts
- 16 verified rows a subset of 181 countries in the full WPS Index
- Denmark: 0.939 highest score in this subset; global WPS rank 1
- Structural national index women's status and wellbeing, not personal safety advice
- WPS Index 2025/26 Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security & PRIO
- Checked 2026-07-28 re-check current conditions before relying on the ranking
The verified WPS subset: countries for women to research
The table below is a verified subset of popular relocation destinations and global leaders read from the primary source. It is not a list of the 16 safest countries in the world. The full WPS Index covers 181countries, while this page includes only the rows in the WhereNext registry. Rows are sorted by WPS score, and the rank badge is each country's global rank out of 181; gaps in the rank sequence are expected because this is a subset.
| Global rank | Country | WPS score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark | 0.939 | WPS source |
| 2 | Iceland | 0.932 | WPS source |
| 3 | Norway | 0.924 | WPS source |
| 9 | New Zealand | 0.898 | WPS source |
| 11 | Australia | 0.896 | WPS source |
| 13 | Ireland | 0.891 | WPS source |
| 16 | Canada | 0.885 | WPS source |
| 17 | Singapore | 0.884 | WPS source |
| 19 | Switzerland | 0.877 | WPS source |
| 20 | United Arab Emirates | 0.872 | WPS source |
| 22 | Japan | 0.866 | WPS source |
| 25 | Spain | 0.862 | WPS source |
| 26 | Portugal | 0.861 | WPS source |
| 34 | Costa Rica | 0.824 | WPS source |
| 57 | Thailand | 0.761 | WPS source |
| 147 | Mexico | 0.558 | WPS source |
WPS score runs from 0 (worst) to 1 (best) in the supplied registry. The rank shown is the global WPS rank, not the row number in this subset. Source and methodology links are provided below.
What a national women's-safety index can and cannot tell you
The WPS Index is a structural national index, not a measurement of lived day-to-day experience in a particular neighborhood, transit route, workplace, or moment. A high score does not guarantee any individual's safety. National averages also hide substantial regional and situational variance. Risk can differ by nationality, race, LGBTQ+ status, religion, and whether someone is visibly foreign.
A high structural score can also coexist with laws that restrict women directly. Some higher-ranked countries in this table criminalize same-sex relationships or regulate women's dress, movement, or conduct — legal realities a national wellbeing score does not fully capture. Always check a country's specific laws affecting women and LGBTQ+ people before relying on its rank.
Mexico and Costa Rica show why a single country average is only a starting point for research: Mexico is shown here at 0.558 and global rank 147, while Costa Rica is shown at 0.824 and global rank 34. Those figures describe the WPS measure for each country; they do not predict the experience of every woman in every city or situation.
The inputs also do not all mean the same thing. Some are survey-based perceptions, such as whether people feel safe at night, while others concern reported incidence such as intimate partner violence (IPV), which is chronically under-reported. Perception and incidence can move differently, so the score should not be read as a direct count of every risk or as a promise about current conditions.
How to use the ranking before relocating or travelling
Quick answer
Use the WPS subset to choose places for deeper, local research. Then check current government travel advisories, local laws, city- and neighborhood-level conditions, emergency support, housing location, transport, and how rules may apply to your own nationality and identity. The WPS score is one structural signal, not a personal safety plan.
Conditions, laws, and local enforcement can change after an index is published. Research the specific city and circumstances that matter to you, and use current official sources before travelling or relocating. Do not substitute this table for professional, government, or local safety guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the WPS Index?▾
The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index is a structural national index of women's status and wellbeing. It combines measures across women's inclusion, justice, and security-related conditions. This page uses the WPS Index 2025/26 and shows 16 verified rows from the full 181-country index.
Is this the same as a list of the safest countries?▾
No. Women's safety is not the same as general country safety or a Global Peace Index ranking. The WPS Index focuses on women's status and wellbeing, including inclusion, justice, and women-specific violence; it is not a general peacefulness score and this page is only a verified subset of the full index.
Does a high WPS score mean I will be safe there?▾
No. The WPS Index is structural and national, not lived day-to-day or personal safety advice. A high score cannot guarantee any individual's safety. National averages hide regional and situational variation, and risk can also vary by nationality, race, LGBTQ+ status, religion, and being visibly foreign.
How is women's safety measured in the WPS Index?▾
The WPS Index measures women's status and wellbeing across inclusion, justice, and women-specific violence and security-related conditions. Some inputs are survey perceptions, while others concern incidence such as intimate partner violence, which is chronically under-reported. That mix should not be treated as a complete count of personal risk.
How current is the WPS data?▾
This page uses the WPS Index 2025/26, checked against the supplied primary-source registry on 2026-07-28. Conditions and laws can change, and index data may not capture current local circumstances. Check current official travel advisories and local laws before relying on it.
Use and cite this data
This page is based on the WPS Index 2025/26, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security & PRIO and was checked on 2026-07-28. The registry publisher label is Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) & PRIO. Read the full WPS Index and its methodology before using the ranking. The full index covers 181countries; this page is only the verified subset above. For attribution, cite the WPS Index edition, publisher, source link, and checked date shown here. The WPS source's own terms govern reuse; this page does not grant a separate licence.
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