10. Sierra Leone
> Women Peace and Security Index (0 worst to 1 best): 0.563
> Women’s mean years of education: 2.9, #12 worst of 170 countries
> Pct. of women w/bank account: 15.4%, #11 worst of 170 countries
> Absence of legal discrimination (0 worst to 100 best): 69.4 – #43 worst of 170 countries
> GDP per capita, 2021: $480, #7 lowest of 170 countries
> Population, 2021: 8,420,641 (females: 4,201,801, 49.9%)
Along with other West African countries, Sierra Leone has one of the highest rates of female genital mutilation in the world. UNICEF estimated in 2021 that 86% of Sierra Leonean women aged 15-49 have undergone FGM, and that nearly 30% of women aged 20-24 were married or betrothed before they turned 18. The 2021 WPS Index estimates that only 45% of women in Sierra Leone use a cell phone and that one in five reported being a target of intimate partner violence. On a more optimistic note, in January, Sierra Leone passed the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act, which reserves 30% of public and private sector jobs to women and equal access to banking services.
9. Sudan
> Women Peace and Security Index (0 worst to 1 best): 0.556
> Women’s mean years of education: 3.3, #15 worst of 170 countries
> Pct. of women w/bank account: 10.0%, #8 worst of 170 countries
> Absence of legal discrimination (0 worst to 100 best): 29.4 – #4 worst of 170 countries
> GDP per capita, 2021: $752, #17 lowest of 170 countries
> Population, 2021: 45,657,202 (females: 22,842,482, 50.0%)
The nonprofit International Service for Human Rights says that since Sudan’s military coup on Oct. 25, 2021, violence against girls and women has increased. “Women farmers in conflict areas are facing intensifying violence that includes killing, injuries and rape in armed militia’s attacks while farming or fetching water and wood,” the group added. The U.N. Population Fund estimates that 2.7 million women and girls in Sudan need violence protection, mitigation, and response services. Only 25% of Sudanese women are employed, and only 10% have a bank account.
8. Chad
> Women Peace and Security Index (0 worst to 1 best): 0.547
> Women’s mean years of education: 1.3, #2 worst of 170 countries
> Pct. of women w/bank account: 14.9%, #10 worst of 170 countries
> Absence of legal discrimination (0 worst to 100 best): 66.3 – #38 worst of 170 countries
> GDP per capita, 2021: $686, #15 lowest of 170 countries
> Population, 2021: 17,179,740 (females: 8,556,210, 49.8%)
Nearly 61% of women in Chad aged 20-24 were married before they turned 18, while only about 18% of Chadian women had access to modern family planning methods, according to U.N. Women. Women in this north-central African country have among the world’s lowest rates of education, spending an average of just 1.3 years in school. The 2021 WPS Index says Chadian women also have among the world’s lowest rates of cell phone use at just 37%.
7. Democratic Republic of the Congo
> Women Peace and Security Index (0 worst to 1 best): 0.547
> Women’s mean years of education: 5.3, #40 worst of 170 countries
> Pct. of women w/bank account: 24.2%, #23 worst of 170 countries
> Absence of legal discrimination (0 worst to 100 best): 78.8 – #76 worst of 170 countries
> GDP per capita, 2021: $577, #11 lowest of 170 countries
> Population, 2021: 95,894,118 (females: 48,319,268, 50.4%)
The D.R.C. is among the world’s poorest countries with about 70% of the country’s 96 million people living below the poverty threshold as defined by the U.N. Human Development Index. Intimate partner violence continues to be an issue, largely due to societal instability. “A recent study from Democratic Republic of the Congo found that both former and current displacement significantly worsened women’s risk of intimate partner violence in the past year, as well as other forms of gender-based violence such as rape,” the 2021 WPS Index noted. On a brighter note, the share of women with cell phone access has increased as did women’s parliamentary representation.
6. South Sudan
> Women Peace and Security Index (0 worst to 1 best): 0.541
> Women’s mean years of education: 3.9, #22 worst of 170 countries
> Pct. of women w/bank account: 4.7%, #2 worst of 170 countries
> Absence of legal discrimination (0 worst to 100 best): 70.0 – #45 worst of 170 countries
> GDP per capita, 2015: $1,072, #26 lowest of 170 countries
> Population, 2021: 10,748,272 (females: 5,427,688, 50.5%)
A March 2022 report from the U.N. Commission describes a “hellish existence for women and girls” in the world’s latest internationally recognized country. All armed groups in the country are perpetuating widespread rape as sexual violence is being treated as a reward to men participating in armed conflict. More than one in four women in South Sudan report having been targets of sexual violence from an intimate partner, and about three out of four women in the country have no access to a cell phone.
