Which has higher women's political empowerment index, Iran or Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia, at 0.347 against 0.32 in Iran as of 2025.

What is the difference in women's political empowerment index between Iran and Saudi Arabia?

0.027, with Saudi Arabia ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Saudi Arabia?

166 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Women's Political Empowerment Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Women's Political Empowerment Index

Iran

0.32

in 2025

Saudi Arabia

0.347

in 2025

Iran rank

168th

Saudi Arabia rank

165th

Women's Political Empowerment Index over time

Iran
Saudi Arabia

How they compare

Saudi Arabia currently reports 0.347 against 0.32 in Iran, a difference of 0.027.

That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.1 times Iran's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 166 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.

Iran ranks 168th and Saudi Arabia ranks 165th of 176 countries.

Across the 19 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 14 and Saudi Arabia in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Iran	Saudi Arabia	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.051	0.061	0.01	Saudi Arabia
1790s	0.051	0.061	0.01	Saudi Arabia
1800s	0.051	0.061	0.01	Saudi Arabia
1810s	0.051	0.0598	0.0088	Saudi Arabia
1820s	0.051	0.0346	0.0164	Iran
1830s	0.051	0.031	0.02	Iran
1840s	0.0522	0.031	0.0212	Iran
1850s	0.057	0.031	0.026	Iran
1860s	0.057	0.031	0.026	Iran
1870s	0.057	0.031	0.026	Iran
1880s	0.057	0.031	0.026	Iran
1890s	0.0563	0.031	0.0253	Iran
1900s	0.0532	0.031	0.0222	Iran
1910s	0.0543	0.031	0.0233	Iran
1920s	0.0743	0.031	0.0433	Iran
1930s	0.091	0.031	0.06	Iran
2000s	0.311	0.1159	0.1951	Iran
2010s	0.3258	0.2137	0.1121	Iran
2020s	0.3197	0.3387	0.019	Saudi Arabia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher women's political empowerment index, Iran or Saudi Arabia?: Saudi Arabia, at 0.347 against 0.32 in Iran as of 2025.
What is the difference in women's political empowerment index between Iran and Saudi Arabia?: 0.027, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Saudi Arabia?: 166 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Iran and Saudi Arabia rank globally for women's political empowerment index?: Iran ranks 168th and Saudi Arabia ranks 165th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Women's Political Empowerment Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Women's Political Empowerment Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 October 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/compare/women-political-empowerment-index/iran-islamic-rep/saudi-arabia/

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About this data

Indicator: Women's Political Empowerment Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 26,029 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 09 October 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which women enjoy civil liberties, can participate in civil society, and are represented in politics.