New Zealand vs South America: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
New Zealand
45.5%
in 2026
South America
31.7%
in 2026
New Zealand rank
14th
South America rank
12th
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments over time
- New Zealand
- South America
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 45.5% against 31.7% in South America, a difference of 13.8%.
That makes New Zealand's figure about 1.4 times South America's.
Across all 27 years both countries report, New Zealand has been ahead every year.
New Zealand ranks 14th and South America ranks 12th of 210 countries.
New Zealand has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | South America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 30.8% | 15.5% | 15.3% | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 34.1% | 21.6% | 12.5% | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 46.4% | 29.7% | 16.8% | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments, New Zealand or South America?
- New Zealand, at 45.5% against 31.7% in South America as of 2026.
- What is the difference in proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments between New Zealand and South America?
- 13.8%, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and South America?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2026.
- How do New Zealand and South America rank globally for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- New Zealand ranks 14th and South America ranks 12th 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.