
Photo: Jujutacular derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 08 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Mexico: Gender & Equality
How wide is the gap between women's and men's lives?
Mexico is placed joint 87th of 183 countries on gender & equality in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Women, Business and the Law 88.75 (2024); Women's Political Empowerment Index 0.801 (2025).
Gender & Equality
joint87th
of 183 countries placed
Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics
- 88.75Women, Business and the Law, 2024WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
- 0.801Women's Political Empowerment Index, 2025Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
- 15.65Firms with a Female Top Manager, 2025Firms with a female top manager (%)
- 21.9Social Institutions and Gender Index, 2023SIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Mexico on gender & equality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 4
Women, Business and the Law
World Bank Group
Why it is a key: The gap written into the statute book, which a country can close while outcomes lag for a generation.
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0
88.75
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
Higher is better
Mexico: 88.75. Across the 190 countries in this edition, values run from 26.25 (Palestine) to 100 (Sweden); the world median is 81.25.
- World median
- 81.25
- Best in Central America
- 91.88 Costa Rica
- Land neighbours
- Belize 82.5 · Guatemala 73.75 · United States 91.25
Each grey tick is one of 190 countries in the 2024 edition.
Key 2 of 4
Women's Political Empowerment Index
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
Why it is a key: Political power held by women in practice — their civil liberties, their part in civil society and their share of political office — where the law and custom keys measure the rules they live under.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
0.801
Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
Higher is better
Mexico: 0.801. Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from 0.028 (Afghanistan) to 0.954 (Denmark); the world median is 0.772.
- World median
- 0.772
- Best in Central America
- 0.907 Costa Rica
- Land neighbours
- Guatemala 0.722 · United States 0.829
Each grey tick is one of 176 countries in the 2025 edition.
Key 3 of 4
Firms with a Female Top Manager
World Bank Group
Why it is a key: The share of firms whose top manager is a woman: economic power held, beside the political power and the legal and social rules the other keys in this subject measure.
Latest reading per country, 2016–2025 · Mexico’s is from 2023 · CC BY 4.0
15.65
Firms with a female top manager (%)
Higher is better
Mexico: 15.65. Across the 179 countries at their latest reading, values run from 1.429 (Qatar) to 62.9 (Kiribati); the world median is 19.16.
- World median
- 19.16
- Best in Central America
- 28.42 Panama
- Land neighbours
- Belize 27.53 · Guatemala 21.53 · United States 23.21
Each grey tick is one of 179 countries at its latest reading, 2016–2025.
Key 4 of 4
Social Institutions and Gender Index
OECD
Why it is a key: Discrimination in social institutions and norms. Correlates 0.850 with Women, Business and the Law, inside the 0.92 bar, and kept because law and custom diverge widely.
2023 edition · data for 2023 · OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
21.9
SIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)
Lower is better
Mexico: 21.9. Across the 140 countries in this edition, values run from 6.7 (Norway) to 67.4 (Mauritania); the world median is 25.2.
- World median
- 25.2
- Best in Central America
- 10.9 Costa Rica
- Land neighbours
- Belize 18.2 · Guatemala 25.7 · United States 19.1
Each grey tick is one of 140 countries in the 2023 edition.
02Over time
Which way Mexico is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Women, Business and the Law
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity) · higher is better
MexicoWorld median
Mexico rose from 67.5 in 2000 to 88.75 in 2024; the world median went from 62.19 to 81.25.
Every year’s figures
Year Mexico World median 2024 89 81.3 2023 89 80.3 2022 89 80.0 2021 89 79.7 2020 89 78.8 2019 89 77.5 2018 89 77.5 2017 89 76.9 2016 89 75.9 2015 89 75.6 2014 86 75.0 2013 78 73.8 2012 78 73.1 2011 78 73.1 2010 78 72.5 2009 75 71.3 2008 75 69.7 2007 73 68.8 2006 73 67.2 2005 73 66.9 2004 73 64.7 2003 73 63.8 2002 73 63.8 2001 73 63.1 2000 68 62.2 Women's Political Empowerment Index
Women's political empowerment index (0–1) · higher is better
MexicoWorld median
Mexico rose from 0.647 in 2000 to 0.801 in 2025; the world median went from 0.681 to 0.772.
Every year’s figures
Year Mexico World median 2025 0.801 0.7715 2024 0.798 0.7745 2023 0.783 0.7755 2022 0.776 0.7825 2021 0.778 0.7785 2020 0.796 0.7755 2019 0.803 0.7665 2018 0.798 0.7715 2017 0.768 0.7710 2016 0.748 0.7780 2015 0.748 0.7755 2014 0.739 0.7795 2013 0.739 0.7730 2012 0.737 0.7740 2011 0.721 0.7650 2010 0.714 0.7610 2009 0.701 0.7515 2008 0.683 0.7505 2007 0.685 0.7380 2006 0.678 0.7290 2005 0.678 0.7350 2004 0.678 0.7205 2003 0.678 0.7160 2002 0.647 0.7150 2001 0.647 0.6950 2000 0.647 0.6810
03In context
Mexico beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 183 countries on gender & equality, never a place within the region.
Mexico and the countries it borders
The standing is each country’s place among all 183 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.
| Country | Standing | Women, Business and the LawWBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity) | Women's Political Empowerment IndexWomen's political empowerment index (0–1) | Firms with a Female Top ManagerFirms with a female top manager (%) | Social Institutions and Gender IndexSIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =41st | 91.25 | 0.829 | 23.21 | 19.1 | |
| =44th | 82.5 | — | 27.53 | 18.2 | |
| =87th | 88.75 | 0.801 | 15.65 | 21.9 | |
| 110th | 73.75 | 0.722 | 21.53 | 25.7 |
“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.
Across Central America
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 183.
Placed either side on gender & equality
The countries immediately above and below Mexico in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Mexico is ahead of the world, and behind
9 more statistics filed under gender & equality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median4
Statistics on which Mexico does better than the middle country measured.
Gender Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.9710.9760.971▲ Improved since 2013
Mexico: 0.976 · world median 0.971 · Gender Development Index (1.000 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.407 to 1.038; higher is better.
Position 74th of 184 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Female Share of Senior and Middle ManagementILO · 2024 · world median 35.8637.2835.86▼ Worsened since 2014
Mexico: 37.28 · world median 35.86 · Women in senior and middle management (% of managers). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 7.226 to 56.69; higher is better.
Position 38th of 86 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Gender Social Norms IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 91.8190.0991.81No earlier reading
Mexico: 90.09 · world median 91.81 · People with at least one bias against gender equality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 27.39 to 99.92; lower is better.
Position 51st of 91 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Maternal Mortality RatioMMEIG · 2023 · world median 46.6542.1146.65▼ Worsened since 2013
Mexico: 42.11 · world median 46.65 · Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.11 to 992.83; lower is better.
Position 100th of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Behind the world median3
Statistics on which Mexico does worse than the middle country measured.
Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.3510.3580.351No real change since 2013
Mexico: 0.358 · world median 0.351 · GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 0.838; lower is better.
Ranked 88th of 172 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.
Child MarriageUNICEF · 2025 · world median 17.118.217.1No earlier reading
Mexico: 18.2 · world median 17.1 · Women 20–24 married before 18 (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.3; lower is better.
Position 69th of 143 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Female Labour Force Participation RateILO · 2025 · world median 53.3647.4553.36▲ Improved since 2015
Mexico: 47.45 · world median 53.36 · Women aged 15+ in the labour force (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 4.663 to 82.91; higher is better.
Position 127th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No better end2
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Female Share of ResearchersUIS · 2024 · world median 38.1733.6838.17No earlier reading
Mexico: 33.68 · world median 38.17 · Researchers who are women (% of headcount; 50 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.54.
Sex Ratio at BirthUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 105.1103.9105.1No real change since 2013
Mexico: 103.9 · world median 105.1 · Male births per 100 female births. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 101.1 to 116.3.
No current reading for Mexico
Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff (last 2017) and Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
05Country Index 2026
Gender & Equality among Mexico’s 16 topics
Gender & Equality is Mexico’s 9th best-placed topic of 16. Strongest first; each marker sits at the position divided by that topic’s field, so fields of different sizes compare fairly.
- Mobility & Trade33rd of 1473/3 keys
- Education & Knowledgejoint 44th of 1713/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation59th of 1764/4 keys
- Digital & Technology72nd of 1983/3 keys
- Development & Human Capitaljoint 72nd of 1963/3 keys
- Work & Labour67th of 1824/4 keys
- Food & Agriculturejoint 68th of 1754/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing85th of 2004/4 keys
- Gender & Equalityjoint 87th of 1834/4 keys
- Governance & Institutionsjoint 101st of 1944/4 keys
- Energyjoint 104th of 1933/3 keys
- Peace & Securityjoint 117th of 1774/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties134th of 1983/3 keys
- Poverty & Inequality112th of 1592/2 keys
- Risk & Resilience136th of 1923/3 keys
- Environment & Sustainability130th of 1813/3 keys
06The top of the list
Who leads on gender & equality
The three countries placed highest of 183, and the leaders Mexico can most readily be measured against.
1Latvia
Northern Europe
1st of 183 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Marcin Szala · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Taiwan
Eastern Asia
2nd of 183 · 3 of 4 keys
Photo: xiangyang17 · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
3Italy
Southern Europe
3rd of 183 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Francisco Antunes · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Americas
Costa Rica4th4/4 keys
This page
Mexico=87th4/4 keys
Positions out of 183 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Mexico on gender & equality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Mexico rank on gender & equality?
Mexico is placed joint 87th of 183 countries on Gender & Equality in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Women, Business and the Law, Women's Political Empowerment Index, Firms with a Female Top Manager and Social Institutions and Gender Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Women, Business and the Law figure for Mexico?
88.75 in 2024 (wBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 81.25.
What is the latest Women's Political Empowerment Index figure for Mexico?
0.801 in 2025 (women's political empowerment index (0–1)), according to V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. The world median in the same edition was 0.772.
How does Mexico compare with United States on gender & equality?
United States is placed joint 41st of 183, and Mexico joint 87th. Women, Business and the Law: United States 91.25, Mexico 88.75; Women's Political Empowerment Index: United States 0.829, Mexico 0.801; Firms with a Female Top Manager: United States 23.21, Mexico 15.65; Social Institutions and Gender Index: United States 19.1, Mexico 21.9.
How have Mexico’s gender & equality figures changed?
Women, Business and the Law rose from 67.5 in 2000 to 88.75 in 2024; Women's Political Empowerment Index rose from 0.647 in 2000 to 0.801 in 2025.
Which gender & equality statistics are missing for Mexico?
No current reading is published for Mexico on Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff and Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Keep reading
Explore further
Mexico, topic by topic
- Governance & Institutions=101st of 194
- Economy & Innovation59th of 176
- Work & Labour67th of 182
- Education & Knowledge=44th of 171
- Health & Wellbeing85th of 200
- Development & Human Capital=72nd of 196
- Environment & Sustainability130th of 181
- Democracy & Civil Liberties134th of 198
- Peace & Security=117th of 177
- Risk & Resilience136th of 192
- Mobility & Trade33rd of 147
- Food & Agriculture=68th of 175
- Poverty & Inequality112th of 159
- Energy=104th of 193
- Digital & Technology72nd of 198
- The full Mexico profile
Nearby, on gender & equality
The key statistics, for every country
09Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Violence against women is not a key here, because comparable data covers too few countries. The Gender Inequality Index is published here as context rather than as a key: its reading is driven largely by maternal and adolescent health, which moves with a country’s overall development and is already measured under Development and Health. Women’s labour force participation, women in management and child marriage are published here as context too.
How the Gender & Equality standing is decided, step by step
A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.
- A few key indicators decide it; the rest are context. 4 indicators on this topic are keys and 11 are charted alongside them without a vote. That split is the point: if every statistic voted, importing five more of one kind would quietly change what the topic is about.
- Each key is read at one edition. ⚠ The keys behind this standing do not all describe the same year — they run from 2023 to 2025, because publishers release on their own schedules. Read the standing as “how this country places now”, not as a snapshot of one year.
- Every country’s published value is turned into a place within that one key’s own field, and then expressed as a share of that field — how far down this key’s list the country sits, rather than how many countries are above it. Keys where a higher published number is worse (terrorism, hunger, disaster risk) are turned round first, so the good end is always the same end.
- Dividing by the field first is the whole reason this works. A place carries the size of its list inside it: 22nd of 44 and 108th of 215 are the same showing, and averaging the numbers 22 and 108 says loudly that they are not. Fields on this site run from about 44 countries to about 215, so averaging raw places would reward a country for happening to be measured in small ones. Dividing each place by its own field removes the size and leaves only the showing.
- The shares are averaged, plainly. One key, one vote — no key is weighted above another, because any weighting would be this site’s opinion presented as a measurement. Countries are then put in order by that average, and the average itself is never published. It is our arithmetic with nothing anchoring it, so printing it would invite it to be read as a measurement somebody made. The position it produces, the band, and the keys it was built from are all published instead — every one of them checkable against the tables on this page.
- A country needs 2 of this topic’s 4 keys — half, rounded up, and never fewer than 2. A standing built from one reading, printed beside one built from four, is two different things sharing a column heading. 183 countries clear the bar here.
- A key has to earn its vote every edition. It must measure at least 120 countries (below that it starts measuring who was surveyed rather than the world), it must not have more than 10% of its field tied at either end, and it must not repeat another key in the same topic — Spearman correlation above 0.92 counts as repeating. A topic needs at least 2 surviving keys to place anyone at all; this one has 4.
- A standing is relative, and the grouping is ours. It says where a country places against the others measured alongside it, so it moves when they move. The publishers listed on this page did not agree to be read together, and each measures its subject its own way: the underlying numbers are theirs, the ordering on top is this site’s — the same method as the rest of the Country Index, applied to one subject instead of all of them.
The key statistics and their licences
- Women, Business and the Law — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Women's Political Empowerment Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Firms with a Female Top Manager — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Social Institutions and Gender Index — OECD, OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
The other 9 statistics on this page come from 6 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Mexico’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Mexico (banner) — Jujutacular derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Latvia — Marcin Szala, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Taiwan — xiangyang17, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Italy — Francisco Antunes, CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Mexico: Gender & Equality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/mexico/gender