The survey takes in 134 countries, and evaluates salaries, access to higher-level jobs, educational opportunities and women's representation in government. Belgium's rise is largely due to improvements in pay and union representation. There are also more women in parliament and in government than before, with women representing one in three of all ministers.

The top four spots were filled by Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden, while the lowest places in the rankings were taken by Pakistan, Chad and Yemen.

Earlier in the year, Belgium was ranked 33rd on the World Economic Forum's corporate gender-gap ratings, with no women CEOs at all and 65% of companies having no policies to promote more women to executive positions.

www.weforum.org