South Africa vs Upper middle income: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
South Africa
44.9%
in 2025
Upper middle income
27.0%
in 2025
South Africa rank
16th
Upper middle income rank
19th
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments over time
- South Africa
- Upper middle income
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 44.9% against 27.0% in Upper middle income, a difference of 17.9%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.7 times Upper middle income's.
Across all 28 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 16th and Upper middle income ranks 19th 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 | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29.4% | 14.9% | 14.5% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 32.8% | 16.3% | 16.5% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 42.8% | 22.4% | 20.4% | 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 Upper middle income?
- South Africa, at 44.9% against 27.0% in Upper middle income as of 2025.
- What is the difference in proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments between South Africa and Upper middle income?
- 17.9%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Upper middle income?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Upper middle income rank globally for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- South Africa ranks 16th and Upper middle income ranks 19th 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.