Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in European Union
European Union: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments was 33.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in European Union, 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 European Union is 33.0%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in European Union peaked at 33.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 17.0%, in 1997.
European Union ranks 7th of 47 groups on this measure, 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 European Union, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 17.0% | — |
| 1998 | 17.1% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 18.0% | +5.5% |
| 2000 | 19.6% | +8.8% |
| 2001 | 19.6% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 20.3% | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 21.4% | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 22.1% | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 22.2% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 22.9% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 23.9% | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 24.2% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 24.5% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 24.4% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 25.1% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 26.0% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 27.7% | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 28.2% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 28.3% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 28.3% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 29.8% | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 30.5% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 31.8% | +4.3% |
| 2020 | 32.4% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 32.7% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 32.6% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 33.0% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 32.6% | -1.2% |
| 2025 | 33.0% | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.4% | 17.0% | 18.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 22.0% | 19.6% | 24.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.0% | 24.4% | 31.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.7% | 32.4% | 33.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near European Union
- 4 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 50.8% compare
- 5 Mexico 50.2% compare
- 6 Andorra 50.0% compare
- 6 United Arab Emirates 50.0% compare
- 8 Costa Rica 49.1% compare
- 9 Iceland 46.0% compare
- 10 Australia 46.0% compare
More public sector data for European Union
- Arms imports 6.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 13.69 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 29.33 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 6.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 818.48 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0189 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 20.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 368.50 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 1,195 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in European Union?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in European Union was 33.0% 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 European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 33.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.0% in 1997.
- How does European Union rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- European Union ranks 7th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this European Union 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.