Denmark vs South Africa: Share of women in parliament
Denmark
43.6%
in 2025
South Africa
44.9%
in 2025
Denmark rank
19th
South Africa rank
16th
Share of women in parliament over time
- Denmark
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 44.9% against 43.6% in Denmark, a difference of 1.3%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 28 shared years of data; in 1997 it was Denmark ahead.
Denmark ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 16th of 193 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.9% | 27.9% | 8.0% | Denmark |
| 2000s | 37.7% | 33.1% | 4.5% | Denmark |
| 2010s | 38.3% | 42.8% | 4.4% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 42.6% | 45.9% | 3.3% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of women in parliament, Denmark or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 44.9% against 43.6% in Denmark as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of women in parliament between Denmark and South Africa?
- 1.3%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and South Africa?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2025.
- How do Denmark and South Africa rank globally for share of women in parliament?
- Denmark ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 16th of 193 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, via World Bank (2026) β processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of women in parliament. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of seats in lower or single chamber of the legislature held by women.