Nine out of 10 people in the world, regardless of their gender, are biased against women, according to a recent U.N. Report, and those biases have barely improved over the last decade. Gender biases that undervalue women’s abilities and rights can hinder women’s opportunities and security in the workplace, politics, and their daily home lives.
Gender biases are prevalent worldwide, spanning various income levels, regions, and cultures. They appear in both developed and developing countries, though some countries are more biased than others. These are the 25 worst countries for women.
To identify the most biased countries towards women, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the 2023 Gender Social Norms Index from Human Development Reports, an annual report commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme released most years since 1990. Of the 91 countries with statistics on bias, 60 have been updated to the 2017-2022 survey period. We listed the 53 countries where fewer than 50% of residents report no gender bias.
The GSNI attempts to quantify biases against women by capturing people’s attitudes on women’s roles in four key dimensions: political, educational, economic, and physical integrity. People were asked if they think “men make better political leaders than women;” if “university is more important for men than women;” or if “men should have more right to a job than women,” among other questions The report also measures intimate partner violence and reproductive rights biases.
The study, which spanned 85% of the world’s population, found that nearly half of respondents believe that men make better political leaders than women do. It also found that 43% believe that men make better business executives, and that more than a quarter believe that it is justified for husbands to beat their wives.
In every country on the list, the gross national income, or GNI, per capita is lower for women than for men, with the share of women’s GNI per capita to men’s as low as 12% in Iraq and 17% in Iran. This reflects the persistent gender income gap, which was found to have a strong statistical association with biased gender social norms.
In the top 10 countries biased towards women, fewer than 1% of residents have no gender bias. Six of these countries are in South and Southeast Asia, and three are in Africa. Other countries in the top 53 are spread around the globe in Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, East Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas – including the United States, where nearly half the population has no gender bias, meaning the other half does. Here are the worst states for women.
53. United States
> Share of people with no gender bias: 49.8%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 50.2%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 26.1%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $51,539 – #7 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $78,238 – #7 highest out of 190 countries
52. Japan
> Share of people with no gender bias: 41.2%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 58.8%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 34.5%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $30,621 – #29 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $54,597 – #25 highest out of 190 countries
51. Uruguay
> Share of people with no gender bias: 39.2%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 60.8%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 22.4%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $17,125 – #53 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $25,680 – #60 highest out of 190 countries
50. Greece
> Share of people with no gender bias: 36.0%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 64.0%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 35.9%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $22,890 – #45 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $35,368 – #48 highest out of 190 countries
49. Argentina
> Share of people with no gender bias: 28.1%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 71.9%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 35.0%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $15,581 – #58 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $26,376 – #58 highest out of 190 countries
48. Serbia
> Share of people with no gender bias: 23.9%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 76.1%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 45.1%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $15,306 – #60 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $23,270 – #63 highest out of 190 countries
47. Singapore
> Share of people with no gender bias: 22.9%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 77.1%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 49.9%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $75,094 – #1 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $105,348 – #1 highest out of 190 countries
46. Czechia
> Share of people with no gender bias: 22.3%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 77.7%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 59.3%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $30,455 – #31 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $47,289 – #31 highest out of 190 countries
45. Chile
> Share of people with no gender bias: 20.3%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 79.7%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 52.4%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $17,553 – #52 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $31,677 – #51 highest out of 190 countries
44. Cyprus
> Share of people with no gender bias: 19.5%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 80.5%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 57.9%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $30,617 – #30 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $45,735 – #36 highest out of 190 countries
43. Hong Kong, China (SAR)
> Share of people with no gender bias: 19.4%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 80.6%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 55.4%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $51,735 – #6 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $75,307 – #9 highest out of 190 countries
42. Ukraine
> Share of people with no gender bias: 15.8%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 84.2%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 65.6%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $10,370 – #75 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $16,605 – #87 highest out of 190 countries
41. Brazil
> Share of people with no gender bias: 15.6%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 84.4%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 47.4%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $10,903 – #72 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $17,960 – #81 highest out of 190 countries
40. Romania
> Share of people with no gender bias: 14.2%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 85.8%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 61.8%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $24,554 – #42 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $35,874 – #46 highest out of 190 countries
39. Slovakia
> Share of people with no gender bias: 13.5%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 86.5%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 68.3%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $24,849 – #41 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $36,813 – #44 highest out of 190 countries
38. Peru
> Share of people with no gender bias: 11.5%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 88.5%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 50.0%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $9,813 – #80 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $14,727 – #97 highest out of 190 countries
37. Guatemala
> Share of people with no gender bias: 10.5%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 89.5%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 56.8%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $4,909 – #107 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $12,614 – #103 highest out of 190 countries
36. Korea (Republic of)
> Share of people with no gender bias: 10.1%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 89.9%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 75.1%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $29,300 – #33 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $59,737 – #20 highest out of 190 countries
35. Mexico
> Share of people with no gender bias: 9.9%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 90.1%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 59.5%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $12,456 – #67 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $23,600 – #61 highest out of 190 countries
34. Russian Federation
> Share of people with no gender bias: 9.3%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 90.7%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 74.6%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $21,857 – #46 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $33,288 – #49 highest out of 190 countries
33. Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
> Share of people with no gender bias: 9.1%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 90.9%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 57.1%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $6,856 – #98 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $9,359 – #114 highest out of 190 countries
32. Türkiye
> Share of people with no gender bias: 8.9%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 91.1%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 77.3%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $19,079 – #49 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $42,929 – #37 highest out of 190 countries
31. Colombia
> Share of people with no gender bias: 8.8%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 91.2%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 59.0%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $10,281 – #76 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $18,599 – #75 highest out of 190 countries
30. China
> Share of people with no gender bias: 8.2%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 91.8%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 68.4%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $13,980 – #64 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $20,883 – #69 highest out of 190 countries
29. Armenia
> Share of people with no gender bias: 8.1%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 91.9%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 72.8%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $8,736 – #86 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $18,558 – #77 highest out of 190 countries
28. Ecuador
> Share of people with no gender bias: 7.9%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 92.1%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 61.9%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $7,451 – #92 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $13,180 – #101 highest out of 190 countries
27. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
> Share of people with no gender bias: 7.6%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 92.4%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 60.8%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $2,866 – #134 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $6,796 – #128 highest out of 190 countries
26. Nicaragua
> Share of people with no gender bias: 6.8%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 93.2%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 57.6%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $3,646 – #122 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $7,661 – #123 highest out of 190 countries
25. Kazakhstan
> Share of people with no gender bias: 6.8%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 93.2%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 76.4%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $18,976 – #50 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $29,305 – #55 highest out of 190 countries
24. Morocco
> Share of people with no gender bias: 6.3%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 93.7%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 75.1%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $3,194 – #130 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $11,356 – #105 highest out of 190 countries
23. Viet Nam
> Share of people with no gender bias: 6.2%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 93.8%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 75.0%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $6,932 – #97 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $8,826 – #117 highest out of 190 countries
22. Maldives
> Share of people with no gender bias: 5.3%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 94.7%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 78.1%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $6,359 – #102 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $22,119 – #66 highest out of 190 countries
21. Iran (Islamic Republic of)
> Share of people with no gender bias: 4.5%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 95.5%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 82.1%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $3,767 – #118 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $22,041 – #67 highest out of 190 countries
20. Kenya
> Share of people with no gender bias: 4.5%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 95.5%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 81.9%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $3,873 – #115 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $5,084 – #140 highest out of 190 countries
19. Lebanon
> Share of people with no gender bias: 4.5%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 95.5%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 78.6%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $3,815 – #116 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $15,586 – #92 highest out of 190 countries
18. Thailand
> Share of people with no gender bias: 4.2%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 95.8%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 80.2%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $15,457 – #59 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $18,694 – #73 highest out of 190 countries
17. Tunisia
> Share of people with no gender bias: 3.3%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 96.7%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 84.3%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $4,870 – #108 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $15,778 – #90 highest out of 190 countries
16. Mongolia
> Share of people with no gender bias: 2.6%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 97.4%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 84.9%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $8,541 – #88 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $12,666 – #102 highest out of 190 countries
15. Kyrgyzstan
> Share of people with no gender bias: 2.0%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 98.0%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 89.5%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $2,863 – #135 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $6,331 – #131 highest out of 190 countries
14. Jordan
> Share of people with no gender bias: 1.5%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 98.5%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 92.3%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $3,778 – #117 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $15,631 – #91 highest out of 190 countries
13. Zimbabwe
> Share of people with no gender bias: 1.4%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 98.6%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 78.2%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $3,286 – #128 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $4,397 – #144 highest out of 190 countries
12. Ethiopia
> Share of people with no gender bias: 1.2%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 98.8%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 73.7%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $1,944 – #155 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $2,774 – #157 highest out of 190 countries
11. Iraq
> Share of people with no gender bias: 1.0%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 99.0%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 93.0%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $2,184 – #149 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $17,748 – #83 highest out of 190 countries
10. Bangladesh
> Share of people with no gender bias: 0.6%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 99.4%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 91.7%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $2,811 – #136 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $8,176 – #120 highest out of 190 countries
9. Myanmar
> Share of people with no gender bias: 0.6%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 99.4%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 92.5%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $2,619 – #137 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $5,093 – #139 highest out of 190 countries
8. Philippines
> Share of people with no gender bias: 0.5%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 99.5%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 90.4%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $7,487 – #91 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $10,311 – #112 highest out of 190 countries
7. Egypt
> Share of people with no gender bias: 0.5%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 99.5%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 94.8%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $3,536 – #126 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $19,741 – #72 highest out of 190 countries
6. Malaysia
> Share of people with no gender bias: 0.5%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 99.5%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 87.5%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $20,672 – #48 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $32,380 – #50 highest out of 190 countries
5. Nigeria
> Share of people with no gender bias: 0.4%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 99.6%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 93.1%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $3,759 – #120 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $5,800 – #135 highest out of 190 countries
4. Indonesia
> Share of people with no gender bias: 0.3%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 99.7%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 93.4%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $7,906 – #90 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $14,976 – #96 highest out of 190 countries
3. Libya
> Share of people with no gender bias: 0.3%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 99.7%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 90.8%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $9,570 – #81 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $20,960 – #68 highest out of 190 countries
2. Pakistan
> Share of people with no gender bias: 0.1%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 99.9%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 98.5%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $1,569 – #161 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $7,620 – #125 highest out of 190 countries
1. Tajikistan
> Share of people with no gender bias: 0.1%
> Share with at least 1 bias against women: 99.9%
> Share with at least 2 biases against women: 87.4%
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – women: $2,980 – #133 highest out of 190 countries
> Estimated GNI per capita, 2021 – men: $6,096 – #134 highest out of 190 countries