Female entrepreneurship: Spain in the global Top 5 of women in the business field

The advancement of women in the business sphere continues to grow worldwide, although it still does so slowly. A study by the business insurance comparison service iSelect analyzes in which countries there are better conditions for female entrepreneurship, taking into account factors such as women's business ownership, self-employment, or presence in management positions.

The report recalls that, according to a Grant Thornton study, 32.4% of senior management positions were occupied by women in 2023, a figure that only increased 1.1 points (to 33.5%) in 2024. These data show that progress exists, but that it continues to be gradual.

New Zealand, leader of the ranking

According to the iSelect Women Entrepreneurs Index, New Zealand ranks first in the classification. The country stands out for its high score in gender equality (0.827) and because 58.2% of companies have female owners.

Nevertheless, the study indicates that female self-employment is still limited, since only 15% of women are part of the self-employed active population.

Moldova and United Kingdom complete the podium

Moldova occupies the second place in the ranking, driven by a score of 0.813 in gender gap. In addition, the country registers 59.5% of female self-employment and 39.4% of women-owned businesses. Among the aspects to improve are the low creation of companies (3.1 per 1,000 inhabitants) and a gap of 18.6% in senior management positions.

In third place, the United Kingdom appears, which also stands out for its position in the gender gap index. The country has 18.6 new businesses per 1,000 inhabitants, one of the highest rates in the study, and 47.1% of businesses owned by women. However, female self-employment is low, at 9.9%.

Philippines and Spain, among the top five

The fourth place corresponds to the Philippines, where 56.7% of companies are owned by women and the gender equality score reaches 0.781. In addition, 41.1% of female workers are self-employed, although the country registers only 0.3 new companies per 1,000 inhabitants.

Spain ranks fifth in the index, with 56.6% of companies in the hands of women and a score of 0.797 in the gender gap. The report points out, however, low rates of female self-employment (11.1%) and 3.1 new companies per 1,000 inhabitants, in addition to a 17.6% difference between men and women in management positions.

Differences between countries

The iSelect study also analyzes other indicators of female entrepreneurship. Thailand, Indonesia, and New Zealand are the countries with the highest percentage of women-owned businesses.

In contrast, Burundi, Burkina Faso and India register the highest levels of female self-employment. In Burkina Faso, for example, 88.9% of women consider themselves self-employed, although 71.3% of the population states that men are better business executives than women.

Gaps in leadership and cultural factors

The report highlights that, despite the growth of female entrepreneurship, significant gaps persist in access to leadership positions.

According to the index, the presence of women in business leadership is highest in Thailand, where 64.8% of companies have a woman as the top executive, and in Cambodia, with 57.3%. In contrast, it is much lower in Bangladesh (3.6%) and Turkey (3.9%).

The study also points out that a high score in gender equality does not always imply greater female entrepreneurship. As an example, it cites Norway, which has one of the best scores in equality (0.863), but only 3.4% of women are self-employed.

Lastly, iSelect highlights the weight of cultural factors. In countries like Burkina Faso (71.3%) and Bangladesh (69.2%) a large part of the population considers that men are better business executives, a perception that can influence the development of female entrepreneurship.