Percentage
In almost half of the countries around the world, the quota of women is below 25%. In around 85% of countries,
the quota is below 40%. View the countries in detail or select another section of the percentage scale.
Only 6 countries have a share of 50% or more of female members of parliament – all these countries are in Africa or on the South American subcontinent. Rwanda is the pioneer with a 61.3% share, followed by Cuba (55.7%) and Nicaragua (53.9%).
Continents
Interesting differences can be observed between the continents. Countries in Africa and on the South American
subcontinent have parliaments with the highest proportions of women, followed by Europe. The Asian and
Oceanian countries are lagging far behind in this respect. Looking at the continents separately and comparing
them, you will recognise interesting patterns.
Year
The quota of female members of parliament has grown continuously since 1950. However, the pace in reaching
equality in parliamentary representation has been slowing down in recent years.
In the 1970s, women were better represented in Europe than on other continents. In 1990, Cuba played a pioneering role with a 33.9% share of women, and from 2010 onwards, countries in Africa and on the South American subcontinent have overtaken European countries in terms of the quota of female members of parliament.
Country
The country search allows you to find individual countries. Five countries can be selected and compared at the
same time.
The Nordic countries perform far better than German-speaking nations such as Switzerland and Germany.
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