South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
South Africa
44.9%
in 2025
Sub-Saharan Africa
27.0%
in 2025
South Africa rank
16th
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
17th
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments over time
- South Africa
- Sub-Saharan Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 44.9% against 27.0% in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 17.9%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.7 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.
Across all 28 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 16th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 17th of 193 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Sub-Saharan Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.9% | 10.6% | 16.3% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 32.8% | 15.2% | 17.6% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 42.8% | 22.5% | 20.3% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 45.9% | 26.3% | 19.5% | 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- South Africa, at 44.9% against 27.0% in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments between South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 17.9%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- South Africa ranks 16th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 17th 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.