2026 FIDE Gender Equality in Chess Index (GECI)

2026 FIDE Gender Equality in Chess Index (GECI)

Measuring progress towards gender equality in global chess

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Global Chess Gender Statistics

1,446,605
Active FIDE Players
238,716
Female Players
16.5%
Female Participation
10.3%
Female % (Standard-rated)

GECI 2026 Coverage

119
Federations Ranked
95%
Player Coverage
61.5
Mean GECI (+2.1 from 2023)

The 2026 Rankings

#1
Mongolia
89.26
#2
Sri Lanka
86.99
#3
Uganda
84.62
Biggest Mover: The United Arab Emirates rose an extraordinary 73 places (from 77th in 2023 to 4th in 2026) with a GECI score increase of 30.79 points. This remarkable improvement was driven primarily by a surge in the Progress indicator, with UAE's participation of girls in youth championships increasing from 12.5% to 43.75%.

The top-ranked country in the 2026 GECI is Mongolia, with a score of 89.26 out of a possible 100. Almost 38% of Mongolia's active FIDE players are women, compared to the global average of approximately 16%.

The second-ranked country is Sri Lanka with a score of 86.99, which also has one of the highest Participation scores (34.74%). In third place is Uganda, which scores especially high for Progress (50%).

From the Americas, the highest-ranked country is Bolivia (78.54, rank 7), while Georgia (75.56, rank 12), with its rich history of women's World Chess Champions, is the highest-ranked European country.

For the 2026 GECI, 119 federations are ranked (up from 105 in the inaugural 2023 edition). You can use the filters below to explore the final rankings for each indicator separately, and by continent.

Full Rankings

Rank Country GECI Continent Participation Performance Progress Change
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