Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Upper middle income
Upper middle income: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments was 27.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Upper middle income, 1998–2025
Source: Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Measured in %.
Analysis
Upper middle income recorded 27.0% for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Upper middle income peaked at 27.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 14.5%, in 2001.
That places Upper middle income 19th 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 Upper middle income, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 15.0% | — |
| 1999 | 14.7% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 14.5% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 14.5% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 15.9% | +9.6% |
| 2003 | 15.5% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 16.3% | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 15.7% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 16.6% | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 17.4% | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 17.9% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 18.8% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 18.9% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 19.5% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 21.2% | +8.5% |
| 2013 | 22.1% | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 22.5% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 22.6% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 23.6% | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 23.7% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 24.7% | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 25.3% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 25.6% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 25.9% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 26.1% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 26.5% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 26.9% | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 27.0% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.9% | 14.7% | 15.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 16.3% | 14.5% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.4% | 18.9% | 25.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.3% | 25.6% | 27.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Upper middle income
- 16 South Africa 44.9% compare
- 17 Cape Verde 44.4% compare
- 18 Spain 44.3% compare
- 19 Denmark 43.6% compare
- 20 Netherlands 43.3% compare
- 21 Namibia 42.3% compare
- 22 Ethiopia 41.9% compare
More public sector data for Upper middle income
- Arms imports 8.06 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 2.63 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 2.75 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 8.06 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 179.69 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0172 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 6.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 551.35 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 176.55 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Upper middle income?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Upper middle income was 27.0% 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 Upper middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 27.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Upper middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.5% in 2001.
- How does Upper middle income rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Upper middle income ranks 19th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in Upper middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Upper 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.