Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments was 30.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1997–2025
Source: Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Measured in %.
Analysis
Africa Eastern and Southern recorded 30.4% for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 30.5% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 1997.
That places Africa Eastern and Southern 10th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 11.8% | — |
| 1998 | 12.8% | +8.1% |
| 1999 | 12.5% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 14.8% | +18.3% |
| 2001 | 15.4% | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 16.7% | +8.0% |
| 2003 | 16.7% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 17.4% | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 19.3% | +11.1% |
| 2006 | 19.8% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 20.2% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 21.4% | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 22.4% | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 22.6% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 25.2% | +11.5% |
| 2012 | 25.0% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 25.9% | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 25.7% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 28.1% | +9.3% |
| 2016 | 29.0% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 28.7% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 28.8% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 29.3% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 30.1% | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 30.5% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 30.5% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 30.5% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 30.2% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 30.4% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.4% | 11.8% | 12.8% | 3 |
| 2000s | 18.4% | 14.8% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.8% | 22.6% | 29.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.4% | 30.1% | 30.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More public sector data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Arms imports 166.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.2212 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -35.66 % change on previous year (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 166.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 17.76 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0109 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate -0.536 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 13.66 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 11.17 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Africa Eastern and Southern was 30.4% in 2025, according to Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
- What is the highest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 30.5% in 2022.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 1997.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 10th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), published as part of Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Women in parliaments are the percentage of parliamentary seats in a single or lower chamber held by women.