Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Arab World
Arab World: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments was 17.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Arab World, 1997–2025
Source: Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Arab World is 17.8%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Arab World peaked at 19.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 1998.
Arab World ranks 41st of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom 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 Arab World, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 3.7% | — |
| 1998 | 3.5% | -7.7% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 3.8% | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 4.6% | +22.6% |
| 2002 | 6.1% | +32.7% |
| 2003 | 6.0% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 6.7% | +10.7% |
| 2005 | 7.0% | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 9.3% | +32.9% |
| 2007 | 9.8% | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 9.8% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 9.9% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 11.9% | +20.4% |
| 2011 | 11.3% | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 14.9% | +31.3% |
| 2013 | 17.4% | +16.8% |
| 2014 | 17.8% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 18.8% | +5.5% |
| 2016 | 19.3% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 18.9% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 19.1% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 17.6% | -7.8% |
| 2020 | 19.5% | +11.3% |
| 2021 | 18.2% | -6.8% |
| 2022 | 18.2% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 17.7% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 18.2% | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 17.8% | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.6% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 3 |
| 2000s | 7.3% | 3.8% | 9.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.7% | 11.3% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.3% | 17.7% | 19.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
More public sector data for Arab World
- Arms imports 5.04 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 10.23 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0013 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -29.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 5.04 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 276.83 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0364 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 4.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 136.37 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 549.21 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Arab World?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Arab World was 17.8% 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 Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 19.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 1998.
- How does Arab World rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Arab World ranks 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Arab World 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.