Number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Southern Asia
Southern Asia: Number of seats held by women in national parliaments was 188 in 2026. ▲ Rising
Number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Southern Asia, 2000–2026
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2026, number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Southern Asia stood at 188.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.0% on the previous year and down 61.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Southern Asia peaked at 503 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 103, in 2002.
Southern Asia ranks 38th of 42 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Southern Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 121 | — |
| 2001 | 104 | -14.0% |
| 2002 | 103 | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 167 | +62.1% |
| 2004 | 167 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 167 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 280 | +67.7% |
| 2007 | 276 | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 280 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 439 | +56.8% |
| 2010 | 494 | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 494 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 502 | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 503 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 420 | -16.5% |
| 2015 | 478 | +13.8% |
| 2016 | 482 | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 489 | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 319 | -34.8% |
| 2019 | 337 | +5.6% |
| 2020 | 417 | +23.7% |
| 2021 | 416 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 422 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 356 | -15.6% |
| 2024 | 350 | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 261 | -25.4% |
| 2026 | 188 | -28.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Southern Asia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +67.7% | 167 | 280 |
| 2003 | +62.1% | 103 | 167 |
| 2009 | +56.8% | 280 | 439 |
| 2018 | -34.8% | 489 | 319 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 210.4 | 103 | 439 | 10 |
| 2010s | 451.8 | 319 | 503 | 10 |
| 2020s | 344.29 | 188 | 422 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Southern Asia
More gender data for Southern Asia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 536,648 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.2956 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 1.65 million (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 1.65 million (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.35 % change on previous year (2030)
- Inactivity rate (ILO modelled estimates) 45.73 (2027)
- SDG indicator 1.1.1: Working poverty rate 5.31 (2025)
- SDG indicator 5.5.2: Proportion of women in managerial positions 10.43 (2025)
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments 12.3% (2026)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia 49.3% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Southern Asia?
- Number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Southern Asia was 188 in 2026, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest number of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Southern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 503 in 2013.
- What is the lowest number of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Southern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 103 in 2002.
- How does Southern Asia rank for number of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Southern Asia ranks 38th out of 42 groups with data for 2026.
- Is number of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in Southern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Southern Asia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Number of seats held by women in national parliaments (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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