Sub-Saharan Africa vs Sweden: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
Sub-Saharan Africa
27.1%
in 2026
Sweden
44.7%
in 2026
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
20th
Sweden rank
17th
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments over time
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 44.7% against 27.1% in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 17.6%.
That makes Sweden's figure about 1.7 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.
Across all 27 years both countries report, Sweden has been ahead every year.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 20th and Sweden ranks 17th of 42 groups.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sub-Saharan Africa | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.5% | 45.0% | 30.5% | Sweden |
| 2010s | 21.8% | 44.7% | 22.9% | Sweden |
| 2020s | 26.1% | 46.1% | 20.0% | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments, Sub-Saharan Africa or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 44.7% against 27.1% in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2026.
- What is the difference in proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments between Sub-Saharan Africa and Sweden?
- 17.6%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sub-Saharan Africa and Sweden?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2026.
- How do Sub-Saharan Africa and Sweden rank globally for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 20th and Sweden ranks 17th of 42 groups.
- 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.