Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
Least Developed Countries (LDCs): Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments was 26.9% in 2026. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), 2000–2026
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2026, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) stood at 26.9%.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) peaked at 27.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 9.3%, in 2000.
That places Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 21st out of 42 groups with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Least Developed Countries (LDCs), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 9.3% | — |
| 2001 | 9.8% | +6.4% |
| 2002 | 10.7% | +8.6% |
| 2003 | 11.9% | +11.7% |
| 2004 | 12.4% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 13.1% | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | +22.6% |
| 2007 | 16.3% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 17.1% | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 19.0% | +11.3% |
| 2010 | 19.3% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 20.0% | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 20.1% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 21.3% | +5.6% |
| 2014 | 21.4% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 21.7% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 22.8% | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 23.2% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 22.1% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 22.9% | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 23.1% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 24.3% | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 25.4% | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 26.2% | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 26.8% | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 27.1% | +1.2% |
| 2026 | 26.9% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.6% | 9.3% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.5% | 19.3% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.7% | 23.1% | 27.1% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
More gender data for Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
- Number of seats held by women in national parliaments 1,760 (2026)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia 37.2% (2023)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia, pregnant 42.0% (2023)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia, non-pregnant 36.8% (2023)
- Proportion of women in managerial positions - 13th ICLS 28.5% (2025)
- Adjusted gender parity index for participation rate in organized 1.01 (2023)
- Ratio for female members of parliaments (Ratio of the proportion of) 0.5% (2026)
- Ratio for female members of parliaments (Ratio of the proportion of) 0.5% (2026)
- Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have 60.1% (2025)
- Proportion of elected seats held by women in deliberative bodies of 27.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) was 26.9% 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 Least Developed Countries (LDCs)?
- The highest recorded value was 27.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.3% in 2000.
- How does Least Developed Countries (LDCs) rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) ranks 21st out of 42 groups with data for 2026.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 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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