Misc
Which Countries Feature Women on Banknotes?
Visualizing the Women on Banknotes Worldwide
A study by Swedish loan company Advisa analyzed 1,006 current international banknotes and found that only 15% featured images of women.
Who are these women, and which countries feature them on their bills?
This graphic by Ivett Kovács and Gabrielle Merite visualizes women on banknotes around the world, showing their main occupations, and the value of the banknotes they’re featured on.
The List: Women on Bills
To create this graphic, Ivett used data from the Standard Catalogue of World Paper Money, compiled by Vox.
According to the dataset, Queen Elizabeth II is the most featured woman worldwide.
Country | Denomination(s) | Woman | Description |
---|---|---|---|
🇦🇱 Albania | 100 lekë | Queen Teuta | Queen of Illyria |
🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda | $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇦🇷 Argentina | 100 pesos | Eva Perón | First Lady of Argentina |
🇦🇺 Australia | $50 | Edith Cowan | Suffragette |
🇦🇺 Australia | $10 | Mary Gilmore | Poet, journalist |
🇦🇺 Australia | $100 | Nellie Melba | Opera singer |
🇦🇺 Australia | $5 | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇧🇸 Bahamas | $10, $100 | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇧🇿 Belize | $2, $10, $20, $50 | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇨🇦 Canada | $20 | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇨🇻 Cape Verde | 2000 escudos | Cesária Évora | Singer |
🇰🇾 Cayman Islands | $1, $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇨🇱 Chile | 5000 pesos | Gabriela Mistral | Nobel Prize winner |
🇨🇴 Colombia | 10000 pesos | Policarpa Salavarrieta | Seamstress, spy |
🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 20000 colones | Carmen Lyra | Writer |
🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 50 koruna | Agnes of Bohemia | Bohemian princess |
🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 500 koruna | Božena Němcová | Writer |
🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 2000 koruna | Emmy Destinn | Opera singer |
🇩🇲 Dominica | $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 200 pesos | Mirabal sisters | Sisters who opposed dictatorship |
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 500 pesos | Salomé Ureña | Poet and pedagogist |
🇫🇰 Falkland Islands | 5, 10, 20, 50 pounds | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇬🇪 Georgia | 50 lari | Queen Tamar | The Queen Regnant of Georgia |
🇬🇮 Gibraltar | 5, 10, 20, 50 pounds | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇬🇩 Grenada | $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇬🇬 Guernsey | 5, 10, 20, 50 pounds | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇭🇹 Haiti | 10 gourdes | Catherine Flon Arcahaie | Created Haitian flag |
🇮🇸 Iceland | 5000 kronur | Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir | Seamstress |
🇮🇲 Isle of Man | 1, 5, ,10, 20, 50 pounds | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇯🇲 Jamaica | $500 | Nanny of the Maroons | National heroine of Jamaica |
🇯🇵 Japan | 5000 yen | Higuchi Ichiyō | Writer |
🇯🇪 Jersey | 1 ,5, 10, 20, 50 pounds | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | 50 som | Kurmanjan Datka | Stateswoman |
🇲🇼 Malawi | 200 kwacha | Rose Lomathinda Chibambo | Leader of African Congress |
🇲🇽 Mexico | 500 pesos | Frida Kahlo (and Diego Rivera) | Artist, Communist Party militant |
🇲🇽 Mexico | 200 pesos | Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz | Nun, scholar, poet |
🇳🇿 New Zealand | $10 | Kate Sheppard | Suffragette |
🇳🇿 New Zealand | $20 | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇳🇬 Nigeria | 20 naira | Ladi Kwali | Potter |
🇳🇴 Norway | 100 kroner | Kirsten Falgstad | Opera singer |
🇳🇴 Norway | 500 kroner | Sigrid Undset | Nobel Prize winner |
🇵🇪 Peru | 200 soles | Rose of Lima | First catholic saint of the Americas |
🇵🇭 Philippines | 500 pesos | Corazon C. Aquino | First female president in Phillipines |
🇵🇭 Philippines | 1000 pesos | Josefa Llanes Escoda | Founder, Philippines Girl Scouts |
🇰🇳 St. Kitts and Nevis | $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇱🇨 St. Lucia | $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🏴 Scotland | 50 pounds | Mary Slessor | Missionary, activist |
🇷🇸 Serbia | 200 dinar | Nadežda Petrović | Painter |
🇰🇷 South Korea | 50000 won | Shin Saimdang | Artist, poet |
🇻🇨 St Vincent and Grenadines | $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇸🇭 St. Helena | 5, 10, 20 pounds | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇸🇪 Sweden | 20 kronor | Astrid Lindgren | Author of "Pippi Lockstocking" |
🇸🇪 Sweden | 50 kronor | Jenny Lind | Opera singer |
🇸🇪 Sweden | 500 kronor | Birgit Nilsson | Opera singer |
🇸🇪 Sweden | 100 kronor | Greta Garbo | Actress |
🇨🇭 Switzerland | 50 francs | Sophie Taeuber-Arp | Painter, sculptor |
🇸🇾 Syria | 500 pounds | Zenobia | Queen of the Palmyrene Empire |
🇹🇳 Tunisia | 10 dinars | Dido | Queen & founder of Carthage |
🇹🇷 Turkey | 50 lira | Fatma Aliye Topuz | First female Muslim novelist |
🇺🇦 Ukraine | 200 hryven | Lesya Ukrainka | Poet, writer |
🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 5, 10, 20, 50 pounds | Queen Elizabeth II | Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+ |
🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 5 pounds | Elizabeth Fry | Prison reformer |
🇺🇾 Uruguay | 1000 pesos | Juana de Ibarbourou | Poet |
🇻🇪 Venezuela | 20 bolívares | Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi | Heroine of War of Independence |
Canada was the first country to use an image of Queen Elizabeth II on their money. In 1935, Canada printed her on a $20 banknote—the British monarch was only a 9-year-old princess at the time. Now, Queen E appears on a variety of different banknotes in 19 different countries. In the Cayman Islands, she’s on their $1, $5, $25, $50, and $100.
A few other queens or royal members have made it onto different banknotes too—Georgia’s 50 lari note has an image of Queen Tamar, who was the Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213, and Albania’s 100 lekë features Queen Teuta, a 3rd century queen of an Illyrian tribe.
While royals (especially Queen Elizabeth II) are frequently featured on bills worldwide, women in other positions have also made it onto banknotes.
Authors, singers, poets, and painters are featured on a number of different currencies. For instance, Sweden has Astrid Lindgren—the author of Pippi Longstocking—on their 20 kronor.
Sweden also features three other women on their bills: Birgit Nilsson, Jenny Lind, and Greta Garbo, making their banknote features an even 50/50 split between men and women.
A Quick History of Women Featured on U.S. Banknotes
Essentially the only time a woman was prominently featured on a U.S. banknote was in the late 19th century when Martha Washington—the wife of President George Washington—appeared on a $1 silver certificate.
This dearth of women on U.S. banknotes may soon come to an end. The Biden administration is now speeding up efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, an initiative that was delayed in recent years. When the plan was initially introduced by then Treasury secretary, Jacob Lew, in 2016, the new design was set to be unveiled in 2020 on the centennial of the 19th Amendment (which granted women the right to vote).
Women are Still Underrepresented
It’s worth noting that women are still consistently underrepresented in positions of power, and in the media.
And even when women do hold authoritative positions, research has shown they’re taken less seriously than their male counterparts.
That’s why events like International Women’s Day exist. It’s not just a time to celebrate women’s achievements—it’s also a day to shed light on existing gender bias, and ultimately take action to help combat gender inequality.
Want to be part of the change? Learn more about Women’s Day, or donate to fundraising efforts for female-focused charities.
This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
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