Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan vs Portugal: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
16.9%
in 2025
Portugal
35.7%
in 2025
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank
42nd
Portugal rank
43rd
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments over time
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Portugal
How they compare
Portugal currently reports 35.7% against 16.9% in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, a difference of 18.8%.
That makes Portugal's figure about 2.1 times Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan's.
Across all 26 years both countries report, Portugal has been ahead every year.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 42nd and Portugal ranks 43rd of 47 groups.
Portugal has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | Portugal | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.7% | 13.0% | 9.4% | Portugal |
| 2000s | 9.2% | 23.0% | 13.8% | Portugal |
| 2010s | 16.0% | 32.5% | 16.5% | Portugal |
| 2020s | 17.6% | 36.9% | 19.3% | Portugal |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan or Portugal?
- Portugal, at 35.7% against 16.9% in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments between Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan and Portugal?
- 18.8%, with Portugal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan and Portugal?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2025.
- How do Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan and Portugal rank globally for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 42nd and Portugal ranks 43rd of 47 groups.
- 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.