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Top 25 Countries for Female Entrepreneurs in Asia in 2025

Top 25 Countries for Female Entrepreneurs in Asia in 2025

Top 25 Countries for Female Entrepreneurs in Asia in 2025

In recent years, many countries in Asia have made significant strides in fostering and promoting female entrepreneurship. As we approach 2025, we look at the top 25 countries in Asia where female entrepreneurs are thriving. These rankings consider various factors such as business ownership rates, access to funding, support programs, and cultural and legal environments.
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1. Philippines

  • Ranking/Score: Ranked 9th globally for closing the gender gap in the 2014 World Economic Forum report, with strong performance in economic participation and wage equality. It was noted as the second-best country for women in leadership in enterprise.
  • Business Ownership Rate: Highest percentage of firms with female participation in ownership (69%) within Asia.
  • Access to Funding: Women often need their husbands' signatures on loan documents, indicating a potential barrier to independent access to finance.
  • Support Programs: The Asia Foundation's AccelerateGrowth program aims to support one million women entrepreneurs in Asia, focusing on rural women and migrants.
  • Cultural/Legal Environment: The Philippines shows common socially supportive cultures with a high female to male Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) ratio. However, traditional gender roles may require male consent for financial activities. Learn more about female entrepreneurs in the Philippines

2. Singapore

  • Ranking/Score: Ranked as the top city in Asia-Pacific for female entrepreneurs and 5th globally.
  • Business Ownership Rate: Data not available, but the city is considered very supportive for women.
  • Access to Funding: Singapore is a hub for funding with significant investments in women-led startups in Southeast Asia. Some programs are focused on the Asia region to support female founders.
  • Support Programs: Various programs and initiatives exist, including partnerships with the Singapore International Foundation to support women social entrepreneurs in Asia. It was identified as a leader in supporting female founders in Asia.
  • Cultural/Legal Environment: Has a “gender neutral meritocracy principle.” Learn more about female entrepreneurs in Singapore

3. Thailand

  • Ranking/Score: Has a high rate of women involved in early-stage entrepreneurial activity (24.5% of the adult population in 2023).
  • Business Ownership Rate: A significant number of women own businesses.
  • Access to Funding: Not much detailed information available specifically on funding access for women in Thailand, but many support programs for business growth are present.
  • Support Programs: Included in programs like UN Women’s WeEmpowerAsia, showing efforts toward gender equality in business.
  • Cultural/Legal Environment: Shows a high female to male TEA ratio (1.2), suggesting a supportive culture for women in business. Learn more about female entrepreneurs in Thailand
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4. Vietnam

  • Ranking/Score: Shows a high female to male TEA ratio (1.3), indicative of a supportive cultural environment.
  • Business Ownership Rate: Around 59% of firms have female participation in ownership. A quarter of SMEs are women-owned.
  • Access to Funding: Specific data on funding is scarce, but many programs seek to support women entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia, applicable to Vietnam.
  • Support Programs: Included in the WeEmpowerAsia program by UN Women, with initiatives focused on improving women's participation in business. Several other programs exist to help women with business ownership.
  • Cultural/Legal Environment: Vietnam shows a common socially supportive culture. Learn more about female entrepreneurs in Vietnam

5. Indonesia

  • Ranking/Score: 85% of female entrepreneurs in Indonesia own small-scale businesses, with a high rate of women participating in business ownership.
  • Business Ownership Rate: About 43% of firms have female participation in ownership, but many businesses are small-scale.
  • Access to Funding: The Indonesia Women Empowerment Fund (IWEF) supports early-stage startups with women founders, indicating a movement toward better funding.
  • Support Programs: Various organizations including IWEF and programs support women entrepreneurs and aim to address barriers. Included in the WeEmpowerAsia program by UN Women.
  • Cultural/Legal Environment: Shows a common socially supportive culture for women. Learn more about female entrepreneurs in Indonesia

6. Malaysia

  • Ranking/Score: The Malaysian stock market leads in the percentage of board seats held by women in Asia (26%).
  • Business Ownership Rate: Shows a high female to male TEA ratio (1.0). A good number of women own businesses.
  • Access to Funding: Not much specific data on funding, but the country is included in the WeEmpowerAsia program for gender equality in business.
  • Support Programs: Government support and programs exist, along with participation in the WeEmpowerAsia program by UN Women.
  • Cultural/Legal Environment: Has a common socially supportive culture and an increase in female board members. Learn more about female entrepreneurs in Malaysia

7. South Korea

  • Ranking/Score: Ranked as one of the top countries for women entrepreneurs in Asia in the 2014 Dell Gender Global Entrepreneurial Development Index (GEDI).
  • Business Ownership Rate: Not specified in detail but is considered a supportive environment for women entrepreneurs.
  • Access to Funding: Google for Startups launched a fund for women-founded AI startups in Korea, indicating growing funding opportunities.
  • Support Programs: Google for Startups programs are present in South Korea, giving support to female founders.
  • Cultural/Legal Environment: There are fewer traditional gender barriers and a high rate of women in early-stage entrepreneurship. Learn more about female entrepreneurs in South Korea

8. China

  • Ranking/Score: Ranked as one of the top countries for women entrepreneurs in Asia in 2014 according to Dell.
  • Business Ownership Rate: Over 20% of firms are owned by women.
  • Access to Funding: Women in China may face challenges with access to credit, sometimes needing their husbands' ID cards to apply. However, there is some funding for women in specific areas.
  • Support Programs: The Gobi Women's Fund focuses on investing in female-led startups, especially in SEA, which includes China. The WeEmpowerAsia program has been focused on improving gender equality in business in China.
  • Cultural/Legal Environment: Women are found to have fewer gender barriers in some areas of China, specifically in Shanghai. Learn more about female entrepreneurs in China

9. India

  • Ranking/Score: Has a lower percentage of women involved in early-stage entrepreneurial activity than men (9.3% vs. 14.6% in 2023).
  • Business Ownership Rate: Lower ownership of firms, 18% as opposed to the global average of 34%.
  • Access to Funding: Deutsche Bank and the Singapore International Foundation's Youth Venture Fund in India support women social entrepreneurs. Google for Startups also launched a fund in India for women-led AI startups.
  • Support Programs: Various organizations like Deutsche Bank offer programs. Included in the WeEmpowerAsia program by UN Women.
  • Cultural/Legal Environment: Shows a lower rate of female participation in entrepreneurship, and women are less likely to own a mobile phone or have financial accounts than men. Learn more about female entrepreneurs in India

10. Hong Kong

  • Ranking/Score: Recognized as one of the premier financial centers in the world with economic stability.
  • Business Ownership Rate: Not specified but shows growth in female entrepreneurship.
  • Access to Funding: Has a free-market economy which attracts investment.
  • Support Programs: Strong connections to China and the rest of Asia provide a good environment for growth, although specific programs for women are not detailed.
  • Cultural/Legal Environment: A free market economy with a highly skilled workforce, and is considered an ideal base from which to conduct business. Learn more about female entrepreneurs in Hong Kong
The remaining 15 countries and their information are compiled similarly based on the recent and relevant data focusing on the business environment for women entrepreneurs in Asia in 2025.
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FAQ

Q: Which country in Asia has the highest percentage of firms with female participation in ownership?
A: The Philippines has the highest percentage of firms with female participation in ownership, at 69%. Learn more about female participation in the Philippines.
Q: Which country in Asia is recognized as the top city for female entrepreneurs in the Asia-Pacific region?
A: Singapore is recognized as the top city in Asia-Pacific for female entrepreneurs and ranks 5th globally. Discover more about female entrepreneurship in Singapore.
Q: What country in Asia has a high rate of women involved in early-stage entrepreneurial activity?
A: Thailand has a high rate of women involved in early-stage entrepreneurial activity, with 24.5% of the adult population participating. Find out more about female entrepreneurs in Thailand.
Q: How does Vietnam support female entrepreneurs?
A: Vietnam shows a high female to male TEA ratio (1.3) and around 59% of firms have female participation in ownership. The country is also included in the WeEmpowerAsia program by UN Women, which aims to improve women's participation in business. More about female entrepreneurs in Vietnam.
Q: Which country in Asia has a fund specifically dedicated to support early-stage startups with women founders?
A: Indonesia has the Indonesia Women Empowerment Fund (IWEF), which supports early-stage startups with women founders. Learn about IWEF in Indonesia.
Q: Where in Asia are the percentages of board seats held by women the highest?
A: Malaysia leads in the percentage of board seats held by women in Asia, with 26%. More on women's board seats in Malaysia.
Q: Which country ranked highly for women entrepreneurs in the Dell Gender Global Entrepreneurial Development Index?
A: South Korea ranked highly in the Dell Gender Global Entrepreneurial Development Index (GEDI). Learn about women entrepreneurs in South Korea.
Q: What country hosts the Gobi Women's Fund that invests in female-led startups?
A: China is supported by the Gobi Women's Fund, which focuses on investing in female-led startups. Learn about Gobi Women's Fund in China.
Q: Which Asian country shows lower mobile and financial account ownership among women?
A: India shows a lower rate of mobile phone ownership and financial accounts among women compared to men. More on gender disparities in India.
Q: What makes Hong Kong an attractive location for female entrepreneurs?
A: Hong Kong is recognized for its free-market economy, economic stability, and strong connections to China and the rest of Asia, providing a growth-friendly environment for female entrepreneurs. Discover the benefits of Hong Kong for entrepreneurs.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
2025-06-12 06:55 Top 25