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Women's legal equality: property and inheritance
What this indicator measures
This 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).
How to read this?
The closer the score is to 100, the more the law treats women and men the same way on these points.
Ranking : ranked from highest to lowest
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186countries with data
100 /100maximum · Angola
100 /100median
0 /100minimum · Tonga
2025data year(s)
In brief
Women's legal equality: property and inheritance: across 186 countries and territories, values range from 0 /100 (Tonga) 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 Oceania (62.5 /100).
Median by continent
- Europe 100 /100 (40)
- South America 100 /100 (12)
- North America 100 /100 (23)
- Africa 75 /100 (51)
- Asia 75 /100 (45)
- Oceania 62.5 /100 (12)
Why this indicator matters
Owning property, inheriting or having one's domestic work recognized in a divorce influences economic autonomy. This score compares the written rules on these three points.
What makes this indicator vary
Rules depend on family law, marital property regimes, inheritance traditions and reforms made over time. Some legal systems combine civil, religious and customary law.
Reading precautions
The score reflects the written law, not what happens in families or before the courts. It does not cover uncodified customs. It is limited to the points chosen by the WBL method.
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 | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇧🇸 Bahamas | 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 | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇨🇦 Canada | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇨🇳 China | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire | 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 | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇪🇷 Eritrea | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇪🇸 Spain | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇫🇮 Finland | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇫🇯 Fiji | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇫🇷 France | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇬🇦 Gabon | 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 | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇬🇾 Guyana | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇭🇳 Honduras | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇮🇱 Israel | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇮🇹 Italy | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇯🇵 Japan | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇱🇦 Laos | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇱🇨 St. Lucia | 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 | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇹 Malta | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇼 Malawi | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇳🇦 Namibia | 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 | 🇵🇦 Panama | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇵🇪 Peru | 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 | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇲 San Marino | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇷 Suriname | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇹🇬 Togo | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 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 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 100 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇧🇯 Benin | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇨🇱 Chile | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇨🇬 Congo - Brazzaville | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇬🇳 Guinea | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇭🇹 Haiti | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇮🇳 India | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇰🇳 St. Kitts & Nevis | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇱🇷 Liberia | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇲🇱 Mali | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma) | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇸🇨 Seychelles | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇹🇩 Chad | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇺🇬 Uganda | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇼🇸 Samoa | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 75 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇧🇮 Burundi | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇧🇳 Brunei | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇧🇼 Botswana | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇫🇲 Micronesia | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇬🇲 Gambia | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇰🇮 Kiribati | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇳🇵 Nepal | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇸🇿 Eswatini | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇻🇺 Vanuatu | 50 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇩🇯 Djibouti | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇮🇷 Iran | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇱🇾 Libya | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇲🇻 Maldives | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇴🇲 Oman | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇸🇩 Sudan | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇸🇴 Somalia | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇸🇾 Syria | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇾🇪 Yemen | 25 /100 | 2025 |
| 180e | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 180e | 🇰🇲 Comoros | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 180e | 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 180e | 🇲🇷 Mauritania | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 180e | 🇳🇪 Niger | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 180e | 🇵🇼 Palau | 0 /100 | 2025 |
| 180e | 🇹🇴 Tonga | 0 /100 | 2025 |
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest value for "Women's legal equality: property and inheritance"?
The highest value is in Angola, at 100 /100 (2025).
Which country has the lowest value for "Women's legal equality: property and inheritance"?
The lowest value is in Tonga, at 0 /100 (2025).
What is the world median value of "Women's legal equality: property and inheritance"?
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: property and inheritance" 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: property and inheritance" 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.
What does the property and inheritance score measure?
It checks whether the law gives women the same rights as men over immovable property and inheritance, and whether it recognizes the value of unpaid work in a divorce.
How should the score be interpreted?
It runs from zero to one hundred. The closer it is to one hundred, the more the law treats women and men the same way on the points assessed. It does not measure practice.
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: 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: marriageThis 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).
- 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).