Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments was 25.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Low & middle income, 1998–2025
Source: Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Low & middle income stood at 25.6%. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 17.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Low & middle income peaked at 25.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 1998.
That places Low & middle income 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 11.8% | — |
| 1999 | 11.8% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 12.1% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 12.4% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 13.6% | +10.2% |
| 2003 | 13.4% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 14.3% | +6.3% |
| 2005 | 15.0% | +4.9% |
| 2006 | 15.5% | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 16.4% | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 17.1% | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 17.8% | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 18.0% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 18.7% | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 19.8% | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 20.6% | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 21.1% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 21.8% | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 22.2% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 22.3% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 22.7% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 23.0% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 24.0% | +4.0% |
| 2021 | 24.5% | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 24.9% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 25.2% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 25.4% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 25.6% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.8% | 11.8% | 11.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.8% | 12.1% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.0% | 18.0% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.9% | 24.0% | 25.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More public sector data for Low & middle income
- Arms imports 11.23 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 1.67 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 -22.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 11.23 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 102.29 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0174 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 6.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 687.69 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 186.09 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Low & middle income?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Low & middle income was 25.6% 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 Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 25.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 1998.
- How does Low & middle income rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Low & middle income ranks 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low & middle income 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.