South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan): Number of seats held by women in national parliaments

South Africa
179
in 2026
Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan)
2,249
in 2022
South Africa rank
10th
Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan) rank
9th

Number of seats held by women in national parliaments over time

  • South Africa
  • Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan)
05001.0k1.5k2.0k200020132026

How they compare

Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan) currently reports 2,249 against 179 in South Africa, a difference of 2,070.

That makes Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan)'s figure about 12.6 times South Africa's.

Across all 22 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan) has been ahead every year.

South Africa ranks 10th and Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan) ranks 9th of 210 countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan) has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan) Difference Ahead
2000s 125.3 1,064 938.8 Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan)
2010s 170.9 1,922 1,751 Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan)
2020s 183.5 2,195 2,012 Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan)

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of seats held by women in national parliaments, South Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan)?
Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan), at 2,249 against 179 in South Africa as of 2022.
What is the difference in number of seats held by women in national parliaments between South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan)?
2,070, with Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan) ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan)?
22 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2022.
How do South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan) rank globally for number of seats held by women in national parliaments?
South Africa ranks 10th and Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan) ranks 9th of 210 countries.
Where does this data come from?
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as Number of seats held by women in national parliaments (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan): Number of seats held by women in national parliaments. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-seats-held-by-women-in-national-parliaments-number/south-africa/sub-saharan-africa-inc-sudan/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://gender.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-seats-held-by-women-in-national-parliaments-number/south-africa/sub-saharan-africa-inc-sudan/">South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa (inc. Sudan): Number of seats held by women in national parliaments</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Number of seats held by women in national parliaments (number)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
252 places, 6,448 data points, 2000–2026
Last refreshed