South Africa vs Spain: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
South Africa
44.9%
in 2025
Spain
44.3%
in 2025
South Africa rank
16th
Spain rank
18th
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments over time
- South Africa
- Spain
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 44.9% against 44.3% in Spain, a difference of 0.6%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1997 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 16th and Spain ranks 18th of 193 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 3 and Spain in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.9% | 23.7% | 4.3% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 32.8% | 33.1% | 0.2% | Spain |
| 2010s | 42.8% | 38.7% | 4.1% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 45.9% | 43.9% | 2.0% | 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, South Africa or Spain?
- South Africa, at 44.9% against 44.3% in Spain as of 2025.
- What is the difference in proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments between South Africa and Spain?
- 0.6%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Spain?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Spain rank globally for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- South Africa ranks 16th and Spain ranks 18th 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.