Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Europe and Northern America
Europe and Northern America: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments was 33.0% in 2026. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Europe and Northern America, 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 Europe and Northern America is 33.0%, measured in 2026. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 23.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Europe and Northern America peaked at 33.0% in 2026 and was at its lowest, 16.8%, in 2000.
Europe and Northern America ranks 10th of 42 groups on this measure, in the top 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 Europe and Northern America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.8% | — |
| 2001 | 17.4% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 18.3% | +5.4% |
| 2003 | 19.0% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 19.3% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 20.3% | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 20.4% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 21.2% | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 22.1% | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 22.4% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 22.9% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 23.0% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 23.6% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 24.6% | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 26.0% | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 26.4% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 26.8% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 27.6% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 28.4% | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 29.4% | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 31.0% | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 31.5% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 32.3% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 32.2% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 32.6% | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 32.7% | +0.1% |
| 2026 | 33.0% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.7% | 16.8% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.9% | 22.9% | 29.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.2% | 31.0% | 33.0% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Europe and Northern America
- 8 Costa Rica 49.1% compare
- 9 Iceland 46.0% compare
- 10 Australia 46.0% compare
- 11 Cabo Verde 45.8% compare
- 11 Monaco 45.8% compare
- 13 Australia and New Zealand 45.8% compare
More gender data for Europe and Northern America
- Number of seats held by women in national parliaments 3,242 (2026)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia 17.3% (2023)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia, pregnant 16.0% (2023)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia, non-pregnant 17.4% (2023)
- Proportion of women in managerial positions - 13th ICLS 39.6% (2025)
- Adjusted gender parity index for participation rate in organized 1.01 (2024)
- Ratio for female members of parliaments (Ratio of the proportion of) 0.6% (2026)
- Ratio for female members of parliaments (Ratio of the proportion of) 0.6% (2026)
- Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have 80.9% (2025)
- Proportion of elected seats held by women in deliberative bodies of 37.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Europe and Northern America?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Europe and Northern America was 33.0% 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 Europe and Northern America?
- The highest recorded value was 33.0% in 2026.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Europe and Northern America?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.8% in 2000.
- How does Europe and Northern America rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Europe and Northern America ranks 10th out of 42 groups with data for 2026.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in Europe and Northern America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe and Northern America 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.
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