- Business Insider Africa presents the top 10 best African countries for women in 2024.
- This list is courtesy of the World Economic Forum.
- Namibia ranks number 1 on the list, with mostly Southern and Eastern African countries.
Some African countries have made tremendous progress in bridging the gender gap in recent years, ushering in a time of empowerment and advancement for women. The story of gender inequality is being rewritten thanks to coordinated initiatives in the fields of economics, health, education, politics and more. While some African communities still endure severe gender equality issues, there is no denying that others have made significant strides in ensuring proper representation for women.
Top 10 best African countries for women in 2024
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Africa's progress toward gender equality is a monument to women's tenacity and will as well as the combined efforts of all the cultures that are working for change. Even if there are many obstacles in the way, the progress that has been made thus far offers optimism.
Women have made significant strides in all facets of African society, with increasing participation in politics, economics, entertainment, and almost every other field imaginable.
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To start with, women's political representation has increased considerably, with numerous African nations setting the standard for gender equality in governance. Additionally, literacy rates among young women have increased, creating a ripple effect of empowerment that extends to their families and communities.
With this, it's easy to project that Africa is inching closer and closer to eliminating the gender gap, albeit with a few challenges in its way as some African communities still have very glaring gender equality issues.
According to the Global Gender Gap 2024 Insight report by the World Economic Forum some countries have done great in closing the gender gap in just the space of a year, with Sierra Leone being a part of this group.
“The 2024 index also shows important changes in ranking. The five economies that improved their rankings the most climbed over 20 places: Ecuador (+34, ranked 16th), Sierra Leone (+32, ranked 80th), Guatemala (+24, ranked 93rd), Cyprus (+22, ranked 84th), and Romania and Greece (+20, ranked 68th and 73rd, respectively),” the report revealed.
“The most significant drops in the ranking are also negative shifts of over 20 places: Bangladesh (-40, ranked 99th), Lao PDR (-35, ranked 89th), El Salvador (-28, ranked 96th), Rwanda (-27, ranked 39th) and Bhutan (-21, ranked 124th),” it added.
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With that said, here are the top 10 best African countries for women according to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index.
Top 10 African countries with the best gender gap index
| Rank | Country | Gender gap index (Score) | Global rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Namibia | 0.805 | 8th |
| 2. | South Africa | 0.785 | 18th |
| 3. | Mozambique | 0.776 | 27th |
| 4. | Burundi | 0.757 | 38th |
| 5. | Rwanda | 0.757 | 39th |
| 6. | Cape Verde | 0.755 | 41st |
| 7. | Liberia | 0.754 | 42nd |
| 8. | Eswatini | 0.744 | 47th |
| 9. | Zimbabwe | 0.740 | 52nd |
| 10. | Botswana | 0.730 | 57th |
