Iceland vs Southern Africa: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
Iceland
46.0%
in 2026
Southern Africa
35.8%
in 2026
Iceland rank
9th
Southern Africa rank
6th
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments over time
- Iceland
- Southern Africa
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 46.0% against 35.8% in Southern Africa, a difference of 10.2%.
That makes Iceland's figure about 1.3 times Southern Africa's.
Across all 27 years both countries report, Iceland has been ahead every year.
Iceland ranks 9th and Southern Africa ranks 6th of 210 countries.
Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | Southern Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.3% | 24.3% | 9.0% | Iceland |
| 2010s | 41.1% | 33.1% | 8.0% | Iceland |
| 2020s | 44.7% | 36.1% | 8.5% | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments, Iceland or Southern Africa?
- Iceland, at 46.0% against 35.8% in Southern Africa as of 2026.
- What is the difference in proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments between Iceland and Southern Africa?
- 10.2%, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Southern Africa?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2026.
- How do Iceland and Southern Africa rank globally for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Iceland ranks 9th and Southern Africa ranks 6th of 210 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (% of total number of seats). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.