Denmark vs South Africa: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
Denmark
43.6%
in 2025
South Africa
44.9%
in 2025
Denmark rank
19th
South Africa rank
16th
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments over time
- Denmark
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 44.9% against 43.6% in Denmark, a difference of 1.3%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 28 shared years of data; in 1997 it was Denmark ahead.
Denmark ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 16th of 193 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.9% | 27.9% | 8.0% | Denmark |
| 2000s | 37.7% | 33.1% | 4.5% | Denmark |
| 2010s | 38.3% | 42.8% | 4.4% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 42.6% | 45.9% | 3.3% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments, Denmark or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 44.9% against 43.6% in Denmark as of 2025.
- What is the difference in proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments between Denmark and South Africa?
- 1.3%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and South Africa?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2025.
- How do Denmark and South Africa rank globally for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Denmark ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 16th of 193 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), published as Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Women in parliaments are the percentage of parliamentary seats in a single or lower chamber held by women.