Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Central and Southern Asia
Central and Southern Asia: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments was 16.7% in 2026. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Central and Southern Asia, 2000–2026
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Central and Southern Asia is 16.7%, measured in 2026.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.8% on the previous year and down 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Central and Southern Asia peaked at 19.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 2001.
Central and Southern Asia ranks 39th 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.
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Central and Southern Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.9% | — |
| 2001 | 6.7% | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 6.8% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 9.2% | +34.9% |
| 2004 | 9.2% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 9.2% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 12.7% | +37.4% |
| 2007 | 12.7% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 13.8% | +9.5% |
| 2009 | 17.0% | +22.8% |
| 2010 | 18.5% | +8.8% |
| 2011 | 18.5% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 18.9% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 19.0% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 17.3% | -8.9% |
| 2015 | 18.4% | +6.1% |
| 2016 | 18.3% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 18.5% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 15.4% | -17.1% |
| 2019 | 16.9% | +10.0% |
| 2020 | 18.9% | +11.6% |
| 2021 | 18.9% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 19.4% | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 18.6% | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 18.4% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 17.6% | -4.4% |
| 2026 | 16.7% | -4.8% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Central and 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 | +37.4% | 9.2% | 12.7% |
| 2003 | +34.9% | 6.8% | 9.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.4% | 6.7% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.0% | 15.4% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.3% | 16.7% | 19.4% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Central and Southern Asia
- 37 Armenia 39.2% compare
- 38 Uzbekistan 39.2% compare
- 39 North Macedonia 39.2% compare
- 40 Mozambique 38.0% compare
- 41 Slovenia 37.8% compare
- 42 Serbia 37.6% compare
- 42 United Republic of Tanzania 37.6% compare
More gender data for Central and Southern Asia
- Number of seats held by women in national parliaments 341 (2026)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia 48.7% (2023)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia, pregnant 42.5% (2023)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia, non-pregnant 49.0% (2023)
- Proportion of women in managerial positions - 13th ICLS 11.6% (2025)
- Adjusted gender parity index for participation rate in organized 0.9958 (2023)
- Ratio for female members of parliaments (Ratio of the proportion of) 0.3% (2026)
- Ratio for female members of parliaments (Ratio of the proportion of) 0.4% (2026)
- Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have 74.9% (2025)
- Proportion of elected seats held by women in deliberative bodies of 41.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Central and Southern Asia?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Central and Southern Asia was 16.7% in 2026, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Central and Southern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.4% in 2022.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Central and Southern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 2001.
- How does Central and Southern Asia rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Central and Southern Asia ranks 39th out of 42 groups with data for 2026.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in Central and Southern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Central and Southern Asia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (% of total number of seats). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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