South Africa vs World: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
South Africa
44.9%
in 2025
World
27.2%
in 2025
South Africa rank
16th
World rank
15th
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments over time
- South Africa
- World
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 44.9% against 27.2% in World, a difference of 17.7%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.6 times World's.
Across all 29 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 16th and World ranks 15th 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 | World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.9% | 12.8% | 15.2% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 32.8% | 16.3% | 16.5% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 42.8% | 22.2% | 20.6% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 45.9% | 26.5% | 19.3% | 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 World?
- South Africa, at 44.9% against 27.2% in World as of 2025.
- What is the difference in proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments between South Africa and World?
- 17.7%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and World?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and World rank globally for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- South Africa ranks 16th and World 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.