List of Countries with the Most Widows

Jakarta – For many women around the world, the devastating loss of a spouse is often followed by a long struggle to gain basic rights and gain proper respect.

As reported from the United Nations (UN) on Monday, said the number of widows worldwide reached more than 258 million, widows are often unsupported, and ignored in social structures.

History has shown that widows often lose their inheritance rights and assets. In addition, they are treated unfairly after the death of their spouse, often displaced from their position and faced with extreme stigma and discrimination for being perceived as disease 'carriers'.

Around the world, women are far less likely to receive old-age pensions than men, so the death of a spouse can lead to poverty for elderly women.

Since 2011, the UN has celebrated June 23 as International Widows' Day (Resolution A/RES/65/189) to highlight the voices and experiences of widows and provide the unique support they need.

There are more opportunities than ever to act for the full rights and recognition of widows. This includes providing them with information on the fair distribution of inheritance, land and productive resources; pensions and social security that are not based solely on marital status; decent work and equal pay; and education and training opportunities.

Empowering widows to support themselves and their families also means overcoming social stigma that creates exclusion and discriminatory or harmful practices. Well, here are 5 countries according to various sources:

India

India has the highest number of widows not only in Asia but also in the world. In 2010, the Loomba Foundation reported that there were 42.4 million widows in India.

Then in 2015, the number of widows in India increased to 46.4 million. Thanks to this indicator, India managed to surpass China, which used to be ranked first.

One Indian city, Vrindavan, is even known as the city of widows. This nickname was given to the city, which is considered holy by Hindus, because there are more than 20,000 widows living in Vrindavan.

The city, located in northern Uttar Pradesh, also has many widow shelters, both run by the government, NGOs, and private companies.

Maldives

Maldives is the South Asian country with the highest number of widows in Asia. In this country, the divorce rate is 5.52 per 1,000 people, with a population of more than 500,000. 

This high divorce rate is due to the Maldivian society's dislike of physical relationships outside of marriage.

However, marriage and divorce are also very easy in this island nation. The cultural changes taking place in the Maldives today are one of the factors causing the high divorce rate. 

Women are now more capable of taking care of themselves financially, so they can leave a marriage that is considered a failure.

In 2018, the divorce rate in Taiwan was around 2.3 per thousand residents. This is a fairly large number. However, three years later, the number increased.

In 2021, the divorce rate in Taiwan increased to 2.5 per 1,000 residents, with a population of more than 23 million.

One of the reasons for the increase in divorce rates is the reduced financial factor due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has contributed to the economic decline of society.

As a result, many Taiwanese women are filing for divorce and choosing to become widows.

Due to its large population, the divorce rate in China is also quite high. The divorce rate in the country is known to increase every year.

In 2015, China had the second highest number of widows in the world. In 2018, China had a divorce rate of 3.2 per thousand inhabitants and a population of over one billion people.

In Kazakhstan, out of more than 19 million inhabitants, 4.6 people go through divorce proceedings per thousand inhabitants. The rate was the second highest in 2020-2021.

Divorces are occurring due to the large number of new marriages, but the strong economy is not balancing it out.