Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) was 12.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2004–2025
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 Democratic Republic of Congo is 12.8%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and up 43.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 13.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.4%, in 2006.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 161st out of 193 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 12.0% | — |
| 2005 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 8.4% | -30.0% |
| 2007 | 8.4% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8.4% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8.4% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 8.4% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8.9% | +6.5% |
| 2013 | 8.9% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 10.6% | +19.0% |
| 2015 | 8.9% | -16.0% |
| 2016 | 8.9% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8.9% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8.9% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10.0% | +11.8% |
| 2020 | 12.8% | +28.0% |
| 2021 | 12.8% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 12.8% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 12.8% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 13.0% | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 12.8% | -1.5% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 12.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 21.4%, 60% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 12.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.3%, 55% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.6% | 8.4% | 12.0% | 6 |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 8.4% | 10.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 12.8% | 12.8% | 13.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 158 Malaysia 13.5% compare
- 159 Cote d'Ivoire 13.4% compare
- 160 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13.3% compare
- 162 Belize 12.5% compare
- 163 Marshall Islands 12.1% compare
- 164 Brunei 11.4% compare
- 164 Central African Republic 11.4% compare
More public sector data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 44.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.3203 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0005 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 29.63 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Democratic Republic of Congo was 12.8% 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 13.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.4% in 2006.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 161st out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Women in parliaments are the percentage of parliamentary seats in a single or lower chamber held by women.