Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in North America
North America: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments was 29.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in North America, 1997–2025
Source: Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Measured in %.
Analysis
North America recorded 29.5% for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 32.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in North America peaked at 29.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 15.4%, in 1997.
That places North America 11th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
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 North America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 15.4% | — |
| 1998 | 15.4% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 16.3% | +6.2% |
| 2001 | 16.7% | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 16.6% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 16.8% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 17.5% | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 17.6% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 18.2% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 18.6% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 19.1% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 19.0% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 20.1% | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 20.8% | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 20.7% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 21.7% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 22.3% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 22.2% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 22.4% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 25.0% | +11.8% |
| 2019 | 25.9% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 28.1% | +8.7% |
| 2021 | 28.9% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 29.5% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 29.7% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 29.6% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 29.5% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.7% | 15.4% | 16.3% | 3 |
| 2000s | 17.8% | 16.6% | 19.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 22.0% | 19.0% | 25.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.2% | 28.1% | 29.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North America
More public sector data for North America
- Arms imports 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.56 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 56.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 2,692 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0325 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 8.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 1.03 trillion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 48.39 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in North America?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in North America was 29.5% 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 North America?
- The highest recorded value was 29.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.4% in 1997.
- How does North America rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- North America ranks 11th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North America 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.