South Africa vs Sweden: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
South Africa
44.9%
in 2025
Sweden
45.0%
in 2025
South Africa rank
16th
Sweden rank
15th
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments over time
- South Africa
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 45.0% against 44.9% in South Africa, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1997 it was Sweden ahead.
South Africa ranks 16th and Sweden ranks 15th of 193 countries.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.9% | 41.2% | 13.2% | Sweden |
| 2000s | 32.8% | 45.4% | 12.6% | Sweden |
| 2010s | 42.8% | 44.8% | 2.0% | Sweden |
| 2020s | 45.9% | 46.4% | 0.5% | Sweden |
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 Sweden?
- Sweden, at 45.0% against 44.9% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments between South Africa and Sweden?
- 0.1%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sweden?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Sweden rank globally for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- South Africa ranks 16th and Sweden ranks 15th 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.