Number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Number of seats held by women in national parliaments was 2,379 in 2026. ▲ Rising
Number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2026
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 2,379 for number of seats held by women in national parliaments in 2026. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.5% on the previous year and up 22.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 2,379 in 2026 and was at its lowest, 689, in 2000.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 8th out of 42 groups with data for 2026, putting it in the top 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 Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 689 | — |
| 2001 | 744 | +8.0% |
| 2002 | 788 | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 877 | +11.3% |
| 2004 | 960 | +9.5% |
| 2005 | 1,034 | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 1,210 | +17.0% |
| 2007 | 1,238 | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 1,288 | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 1,297 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 1,392 | +7.3% |
| 2011 | 1,471 | +5.7% |
| 2012 | 1,672 | +13.7% |
| 2013 | 1,715 | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 1,889 | +10.1% |
| 2015 | 1,865 | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 1,942 | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 2,060 | +6.1% |
| 2018 | 2,058 | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 2,092 | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 2,097 | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 2,141 | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 2,249 | +5.0% |
| 2023 | 2,319 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 2,326 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 2,321 | -0.2% |
| 2026 | 2,379 | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,012 | 689 | 1,297 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,816 | 1,392 | 2,092 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,262 | 2,097 | 2,379 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More gender data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 552,879 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.42 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 875,918 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 875,918 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.84 % change on previous year (2030)
- Inactivity rate (ILO modelled estimates) 29.77 (2027)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), per capita 0.0004 units per person (2025)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), per capita 0.0006 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female 247.09 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.187 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Number of seats held by women in national parliaments in Sub-Saharan Africa was 2,379 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2,379 in 2026.
- What is the lowest number of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 689 in 2000.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for number of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 8th out of 42 groups with data for 2026.
- Is number of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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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