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Women's legal equality: marriage
What this indicator measures
This score from 0 to 100 looks at whether the law gives women the same rights as men in marriage: being head of household, not having to obey one's husband, divorcing and remarrying. Data from the 2026 edition of "Women, Business and the Law", which describes written laws in force on 1 October 2025 (not their actual enforcement or uncodified customs).
How to read this?
The closer the score is to 100, the more the law treats both spouses in the same way.
Ranking : ranked from highest to lowest
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186countries with data
100 /100maximum · Angola
100 /100median
0 /100minimum · Yemen
2025data year(s)
In brief
Women's legal equality: marriage: across 186 countries and territories, values range from 0 /100 (Yemen) to 100 /100 (Angola), with a world median of 100 /100. Data: 2025. The top 10% of countries exceed 100 /100, while the bottom 10% stay below 25 /100. By continent, the median is highest in Europe (100 /100) and lowest in Asia (75 /100).
Median by continent
- Europe 100 /100 (40)
- South America 100 /100 (12)
- North America 100 /100 (23)
- Oceania 100 /100 (12)
- Africa 75 /100 (51)
- Asia 75 /100 (45)
Why this indicator matters
This score compares whether the law gives both spouses the same rights in marriage: heading the household, divorcing, remarrying. It shows legal equality between women and men in married life.
What makes this indicator vary
The differences come from the history of family law, civil or religious texts and successive reforms. Many countries have changed these rules over time to bring spouses' rights closer together.
Reading precautions
The score reflects the written law in force at the date of the edition, not its enforcement or uncodified customs. It runs from zero to one hundred and sums up several rules in a single number.
Full ranking
ranked from highest to lowest
| Rank | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1er | 🇦🇴 Angola | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇦🇱 Albania | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇦🇲 Armenia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇦🇬 Antigua & Barbuda | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇦🇺 Australia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇦🇹 Austria | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇧🇾 Belarus | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇧🇿 Belize | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇧🇧 Barbados | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇧🇼 Botswana | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇨🇦 Canada | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇨🇳 China | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇨🇻 Cape Verde | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇩🇪 Germany | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇩🇲 Dominica | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇪🇸 Spain | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇫🇮 Finland | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇫🇯 Fiji | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇫🇷 France | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇫🇲 Micronesia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇬🇷 Greece | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇬🇩 Grenada | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇬🇾 Guyana | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇮🇳 India | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇯🇵 Japan | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇰🇮 Kiribati | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇰🇳 St. Kitts & Nevis | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇱🇦 Laos | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇱🇷 Liberia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇱🇸 Lesotho | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇩 Moldova | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇹 Malta | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma) | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇼 Malawi | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇳🇦 Namibia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇳🇴 Norway | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇵🇼 Palau | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇵🇱 Poland | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇷🇴 Romania | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇷🇺 Russia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇷 Suriname | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇨 Seychelles | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇹🇬 Togo | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇹🇴 Tonga | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇺🇬 Uganda | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇺🇸 United States | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇻🇨 St. Vincent & Grenadines | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇼🇸 Samoa | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇧🇯 Benin | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇧🇸 Bahamas | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇨🇱 Chile | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇪🇷 Eritrea | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇬🇦 Gabon | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇬🇳 Guinea | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇭🇳 Honduras | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇮🇹 Italy | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇱🇨 St. Lucia | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇳🇵 Nepal | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇵🇦 Panama | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇵🇪 Peru | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇸🇲 San Marino | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇻🇺 Vanuatu | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇧🇮 Burundi | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇨🇬 Congo - Brazzaville | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇬🇲 Gambia | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇭🇹 Haiti | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇮🇱 Israel | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇲🇻 Maldives | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇸🇾 Syria | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇹🇩 Chad | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇧🇳 Brunei | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇰🇲 Comoros | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇱🇾 Libya | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇲🇱 Mali | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇳🇪 Niger | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇴🇲 Oman | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇸🇴 Somalia | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇸🇿 Eswatini | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 178e | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 178e | 🇩🇯 Djibouti | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 178e | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 178e | 🇮🇷 Iran | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 178e | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 178e | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 178e | 🇲🇷 Mauritania | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 178e | 🇸🇩 Sudan | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 178e | 🇾🇪 Yemen | 0 /100 | 2025 |
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest value for "Women's legal equality: marriage"?
The highest value is in Angola, at 100 /100 (2025).
Which country has the lowest value for "Women's legal equality: marriage"?
The lowest value is in Yemen, at 0 /100 (2025).
What is the world median value of "Women's legal equality: marriage"?
The world median is 100 /100, calculated across 186 countries: half of the countries are above it, the other half below.
What is the value of "Women's legal equality: marriage" for France?
France scores 100 /100 (2025), ranking 1 out of 186 countries (ranked from highest to lowest).
Where does the "Women's legal equality: marriage" data come from?
It comes from Banque mondiale – Women, Business and the Law (WBL 2.0). Site last updated: November 8, 2026. Each country is shown with the year of its most recent value.
How do I read the score from zero to one hundred?
The closer the score is to one hundred, the more the law treats both spouses in the same way. The lower it is, the more the law distinguishes between them.
Does the score describe the real life of couples?
No. It describes the written law. Practices, customs and actual enforcement may differ from what the text provides.
Source and update
Source : Banque mondiale – Women, Business and the Law (WBL 2.0). Site last updated: November 8, 2026.
Indicators in the same category : Women's Legal Equality (Indices)
- Legal protection of women against violenceThis score from 0 to 100 looks at whether the law addresses domestic violence, sexual harassment, femicide and child marriage. Data from the 2026 edition of “Women, Business and the Law”, which describes the written laws in force on 1 October 2025 (not their actual enforcement or uncodified customs).
- Women's legal equality: access to employmentThis score from 0 to 100 looks at whether the law allows women to get a job like men, prohibits discrimination in hiring and at work, and allows requests for flexible work. Data from the 2026 edition of “Women, Business and the Law”, which describes the written laws in force on 1 October 2025 (not their actual application or uncodified customs).
- Women's legal equality: property and inheritanceThis score from 0 to 100 looks at whether the law gives women the same rights as men over immovable property, inheritance (daughters and surviving wives) and the value of unpaid work in a divorce. Data from the 2026 edition of “Women, Business and the Law”, which describes written laws in force on 1 October 2025 (not their actual enforcement or uncodified customs).
- Women's legal equality: parental leave and pregnancyThis score from 0 to 100 looks at what the law provides around childbirth: paid maternity and paternity leave, coverage of benefits by the state and the prohibition of dismissing a pregnant worker. Data from the 2026 edition of “Women, Business and the Law”, which describes the written laws in force on 1 October 2025 (not their actual enforcement or uncodified customs).
- Women's legal equality: entrepreneurshipThis score from 0 to 100 looks at whether the law allows women to start a business on the same terms as men, prohibits discrimination in access to credit, provides for gender-sensitive public procurement and sets a quota of women on boards of directors. Data from the 2026 edition of “Women, Business and the Law”, which describes the written laws in force on 1 October 2025 (not their actual enforcement or uncodified customs).
- Women's legal equality: childcareThis score from 0 to 100 looks at whether the law organizes childcare services: nurseries, quality standards, support for families and for private providers. Data from the 2026 edition of “Women, Business and the Law”, which describes written laws in force on 1 October 2025 (not their actual enforcement or uncodified customs).
- Women's legal equality: overall indexThis index sums up, from 0 to 100, how far written laws give women the same economic rights as men. It is the average of ten thematic scores: safety, mobility, workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, childcare, entrepreneurship, assets and pension. Data from the 2026 edition of "Women, Business and the Law", which describes written laws in force on 1 October 2025 (not their actual enforcement or uncodified customs).
- Women's legal equality: mobilityThis score from 0 to 100 looks at whether the law allows women to choose where to live, to leave the marital home, to travel abroad and to pass on their nationality to their spouse and children, just like men. Data from the 2026 edition of “Women, Business and the Law”, which describes the written laws in force on 1 October 2025 (not their actual application or uncodified customs).
- Women's legal equality: retirementThis score from 0 to 100 looks at whether the retirement age and the mandatory retirement age are the same for women and men, whether survivor's pensions are equal and whether periods spent caring for children count towards the pension. Data from the 2026 edition of “Women, Business and the Law”, which describes the written laws in force on 1 October 2025 (not their actual application or uncodified customs).
- Women's legal equality: pay and occupationsThis score from 0 to 100 looks at whether the law requires equal pay for work of equal value and whether women can work in the same jobs as men (night work, jobs considered dangerous, economic sectors). Data from the 2026 edition of "Women, Business and the Law", which describes written laws in force on 1 October 2025 (not their actual enforcement or uncodified customs).