Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Japan
Japan: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments was 15.5% in 2026. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Japan, 2000–2026
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Japan recorded 15.5% for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in 2026.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and up 63.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Japan peaked at 15.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 2000.
That places Japan 160th out of 210 countries with data for 2026, putting it 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 Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.6% | — |
| 2001 | 7.3% | +58.5% |
| 2002 | 7.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7.1% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 7.1% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9.0% | +26.6% |
| 2007 | 9.4% | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 9.4% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9.4% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 11.2% | +19.9% |
| 2011 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10.8% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 7.9% | -26.9% |
| 2014 | 8.1% | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 9.5% | +16.5% |
| 2016 | 9.5% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9.3% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 10.1% | +9.2% |
| 2019 | 10.2% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 9.9% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 9.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9.7% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 10.0% | +2.9% |
| 2024 | 10.3% | +3.8% |
| 2025 | 15.7% | +51.8% |
| 2026 | 15.5% | -1.4% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 15.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 31.2%, 50% of the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Japan's 15.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.4%, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Japan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +58.5% | 4.6% | 7.3% |
| 2025 | +51.8% | 10.3% | 15.7% |
| 2013 | -26.9% | 10.8% | 7.9% |
| 2006 | +26.6% | 7.1% | 9.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.8% | 4.6% | 9.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.8% | 7.9% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.6% | 9.7% | 15.7% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More gender data for Japan
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 12,429 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.96 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 107,155 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 107,155 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate -0.4423 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 367,041 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 384,885 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 368,886 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 386,553 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 378,555 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Japan?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Japan was 15.5% 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 15.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 2000.
- How does Japan rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Japan ranks 160th out of 210 countries with data for 2026.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 63.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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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