Sweden is the top country for women in STEM
By Dr. Tim Sandle
SCIENCE EDITOR
DIGITAL JOURNNAL
Sweden is Europe’s best country for women in STEM
Sweden ranks first overall with a score of9.06/10. In Sweden, women account for 24% of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) specialists and 51.3% of the science and technology workforce. Tertiary-educated women employed in STEM also exceed typical European levels with 41%, second only to Luxembourg. Sweden’s gender pay gap is on par with the European average at 11.2% below men’s earnings.
Ireland ranks second for women in STEM
Women account for 24.4% of ICT specialists,42.4% of the science and technology workforce, and 12.8% of engineers in Ireland, exceeding the median for all three sectors. Tertiary-educated women make up 36% of those employed in STEM, while the gender pay gap stands at 8.6%, notably lower than the European average of 11.5%, contributing to Ireland’s high overall score of 8.56/10.
Iceland has the highest number of women graduating in STEM
In Iceland, women comprise 48.4% of the science and technology workforce and 43.3% of tertiary-educated employees in STEM, both of which are well above the respective averages. While women account for a lower 18.6% of ICT specialists, this is offset by a relatively small gender pay gap of 9.8%.
February 15, 2026
Vietnam's government has said the country's current pool of around 5,000 semiconductor engineers must jump to 20,000 in the next five years. — © AFP Nhac NGUYEN
This month has seen International Day of Women and Girls in Science (on the 11th of February). To mark this, new analysis has assessed key indicators, including women’s representation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) occupations, the proportion of women among STEM graduates, the share of tertiary-educated women employed in STEM roles, and national gender pay gaps, providing a comparative picture of how effectively different countries enable women to enter, remain, and progress in STEM careers.
The research, from the engineering firm Accu, has identified that Sweden is Europe’s best country for women in STEM, scoring 9.06/10. Notably, Latvia has the highest proportion of women in tech roles in Europe (26.8% of the labour force). The UK ranks a lowly 28th with the highest gender pay gap in Europe (19.8% below men’s earnings).
Vietnam's government has said the country's current pool of around 5,000 semiconductor engineers must jump to 20,000 in the next five years. — © AFP Nhac NGUYEN
This month has seen International Day of Women and Girls in Science (on the 11th of February). To mark this, new analysis has assessed key indicators, including women’s representation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) occupations, the proportion of women among STEM graduates, the share of tertiary-educated women employed in STEM roles, and national gender pay gaps, providing a comparative picture of how effectively different countries enable women to enter, remain, and progress in STEM careers.
The research, from the engineering firm Accu, has identified that Sweden is Europe’s best country for women in STEM, scoring 9.06/10. Notably, Latvia has the highest proportion of women in tech roles in Europe (26.8% of the labour force). The UK ranks a lowly 28th with the highest gender pay gap in Europe (19.8% below men’s earnings).
The best countries in Europe for women in STEM
| Rank | Country | Women as % of labour force | Women among STEM graduates (%) | Tertiary-educated women employed in STEM (%) | Gender pay gap (% below men’s earnings) | Total Score (/10) | ||
| Information and Communication Technology (ICT) | Science & Technology | Engineering | ||||||
| 1 | Sweden | 24.0 | 51.3 | 12.8 | 37.8 | 41.0 | 11.2 | 9.06 |
| 2 | Ireland | 24.4 | 42.4 | 12.7 | 36.0 | 36.2 | 8.6 | 8.56 |
| 3 | Iceland | 18.6 | 48.4 | 11.7 | 43.3 | 36.6 | 9.8 | 8.21 |
| 4 | Estonia | 27.6 | 43.7 | 9.5 | 41.5 | 34.5 | 16.9 | 8.19 |
| 5 | Norway | 21.3 | 47.1 | 13.7 | 29.7 | 39.8 | 12.8 | 8.05 |
| 6 | Denmark | 21.2 | 45.8 | 11.6 | 35.1 | 35.1 | 14 | 7.94 |
| 7 | Slovenia | 19.2 | 44.6 | 9.1 | 33.0 | 34.6 | 5.4 | 7.79 |
| 8 | Portugal | 22.7 | 34.7 | 9.6 | 36.5 | 28.3 | 8.6 | 7.66 |
| 9 | Poland | 17.5 | 44.4 | 9.7 | 39.0 | 36.0 | 7.8 | 7.61 |
| 10 | Belgium | 19.0 | 44.3 | 10.0 | 28.7 | 37.6 | 0.7 | 7.54 |
| European Average | 19.6 | 41.2 | 8.7 | 34.2 | 31.9 | 11.5 | ||
Sweden ranks first overall with a score of9.06/10. In Sweden, women account for 24% of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) specialists and 51.3% of the science and technology workforce. Tertiary-educated women employed in STEM also exceed typical European levels with 41%, second only to Luxembourg. Sweden’s gender pay gap is on par with the European average at 11.2% below men’s earnings.
Ireland ranks second for women in STEM
Women account for 24.4% of ICT specialists,42.4% of the science and technology workforce, and 12.8% of engineers in Ireland, exceeding the median for all three sectors. Tertiary-educated women make up 36% of those employed in STEM, while the gender pay gap stands at 8.6%, notably lower than the European average of 11.5%, contributing to Ireland’s high overall score of 8.56/10.
Iceland has the highest number of women graduating in STEM
In Iceland, women comprise 48.4% of the science and technology workforce and 43.3% of tertiary-educated employees in STEM, both of which are well above the respective averages. While women account for a lower 18.6% of ICT specialists, this is offset by a relatively small gender pay gap of 9.8%.
Hungary is Europe’s worst country for women in STEM
| Rank | Country | Women as % of labour force | Women among STEM graduates (%) | Tertiary-educated women employed in STEM (%) | Gender pay gap (% below men’s earnings) | Score (/10) | ||
| Information and Communication Technology (ICT) | Science & Technology | Engineering | ||||||
| 35 | Hungary | 15.2 | 42.4 | 5.1 | 28.7 | 29.6 | 17.8 | 4.56 |
| 34 | Slovakia | 17.2 | 38.8 | 4.9 | 32.1 | 25.5 | 15.7 | 4.58 |
| 33 | Czechia | 13.0 | 41.2 | 7.3 | 36.1 | 23.8 | 18 | 5.21 |
| 32 | Greece | 16 | 29.7 | 7.6 | 41.1 | 25.3 | 13.6 | 5.82 |
| 31 | Italy | 17.1 | 34.5 | 4.0 | 39.5 | 22.9 | 2.2 | 5.95 |
| 30 | Malta | 14.7 | 37.0 | 9.1 | 33.0 | 27.5 | 5.1 | 5.97 |
| 29 | Spain | 19.6 | 30.8 | 7.6 | 27.5 | 27.6 | 9.2 | 6.02 |
| 28 | United Kingdom | 17.1 | 39.4 | 9.4 | 40.5 | 28.7 | 19.8 | 6.25 |
| 27 | Türkiye | 21.8 | 22.2 | 5.8 | 34.2 | 19.6 | -1.3 | 6.32 |
| 26 | Germany | 19.2 | 46.2 | 6.8 | 28.7 | 23.8 | 17.6 | 6.34 |
| European Average | 19.6 | 41.2 | 8.7 | 34.2 | 31.9 | 11.5 | ||
Hungary ranks last overall, reflecting weak outcomes across both participation and labour market indicators for women in STEM. Women account for 15.2% of ICT specialists and 5.1% of the engineering workforce, both below the European averages of 19.6% and 8.7%, respectively, indicating severe underrepresentation in key technical fields. Although women make up 42.4% of science and technology workers, only 29.6% of tertiary-educated women are employed in STEM roles, and the gender pay gap stands at 17.8%, over six percentage points worse than the European average, contributing to Hungary’s lowest overall score of 4.56/10.
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