Iceland Best Country to Live for Gender Equality

For many, Iceland conjures up images of erupting volcanoes, dramatic glaciers, hot springs, and eerie black sand beaches, but for all its natural beauty, the country is also a champion of women’s rights. In fact, the small island nation offers the best quality of life and protections for women in the world, according to a new report by Forbes, which considered several prestigious rankings for 2024, such as the Global Peace Index, the Global Gender Gap, and the World Happiness Report.

“It [Iceland] has been the most consistently gender-equal country in the world for the last 15 years according to the GGG [Global Gender Gap], and it’s the only country to ever score higher than 90 percent in this report,” the study says.

The Land of Fire and Ice is also the top global peace leader, a title it has upheld since the creation of the Global Peace Index in 2009. The country also consistently ranks in the top three for general happiness. Forbes notes that Iceland has had a female president for 25 of the last 50 years. Currently, almost half of its parliament members, or 30, are female. As a result, the country has implemented policies aimed at preventing gender discrimination, such as a 2018 law that imposes daily fines on companies with 25 or more employees who fail to pay equal wages for equal work.

Women in Iceland and Canada receive an average of 13.9 years of schooling, the highest in the world (the global average is 8.3), according to Georgetown’s 2024 Women, Peace, and Security Index. Iceland ranked fourth in this survey, with perfect scores in the financial inclusion and absence of legal discrimination categories. 

Iceland also excels in maternal health care. The country grants 13 weeks of paid maternity leave and an additional 26 weeks to each parent — all paid at 80 percent.

Denmark is second on Forbes’ list of the best countries for women to live in. The country topped the Women, Peace, and Security Index and has the highest score for access to justice. 

“It is also one of just 13 countries where all women have access to a bank account,” Forbes points out.

Norway is third with the highest score in maternity health care and survival, as well as female literacy. Finland, the happiest country in the world, is fourth, and Sweden is fifth. All remaining countries in the top ten are also in Europe.

However, Nordic countries have consistently high rates of intimate partner violence against women, a phenomenon known as the “Nordic paradox.”

While the gender gap is very slowly closing, “full parity remains beyond the reach of another five generations,” Saadia Zahidi, the managing director of the World Economic Forum, writes in the preface of the Global Gender Gap Index, where the United States ranked 43rd.

You can read more about the findings on forbes.com.