Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in South Asia
South Asia: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments was 11.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in South Asia, 1997–2025
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 South Asia stood at 11.2%.
The figure is down 31.0% on the previous year and down 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in South Asia peaked at 18.9% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 6.2%, in 2004.
South Asia ranks 45th 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 South Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 6.3% | — |
| 1998 | 6.6% | +5.5% |
| 1999 | 7.0% | +6.3% |
| 2000 | 8.4% | +20.5% |
| 2001 | 8.1% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 6.3% | -22.3% |
| 2003 | 6.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6.2% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 9.2% | +48.6% |
| 2006 | 8.6% | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 10.0% | +16.4% |
| 2008 | 16.4% | +64.6% |
| 2009 | 18.7% | +13.8% |
| 2010 | 18.6% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 18.9% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 18.9% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 12.1% | -36.3% |
| 2014 | 17.8% | +47.9% |
| 2015 | 18.0% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 18.0% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 18.1% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 16.4% | -9.2% |
| 2019 | 17.2% | +5.1% |
| 2020 | 17.3% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 17.4% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 17.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 17.7% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 16.3% | -8.2% |
| 2025 | 11.2% | -31.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.6% | 6.3% | 7.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 9.8% | 6.2% | 18.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.4% | 12.1% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.3% | 11.2% | 17.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More public sector data for South Asia
- Arms imports 1.26 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.7506 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 -19.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.26 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 54.8 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0211 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 4.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 91.92 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 467.61 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in South Asia?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in South Asia was 11.2% 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 2011.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.2% in 2004.
- How does South Asia rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- South Asia ranks 45th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia 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.