Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments was 40.6% in 2026. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2026
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 40.6% for proportion 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 0.4% on the previous year and up 38.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 40.6% in 2026 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 2002.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 30th out of 210 countries 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.
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 18.4% | — |
| 2001 | 18.4% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 17.9% | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 17.9% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 17.9% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 18.1% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 19.7% | +8.9% |
| 2007 | 19.7% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 19.5% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 19.5% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 19.5% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 22.0% | +12.8% |
| 2012 | 22.3% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 22.5% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 22.6% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 22.8% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 29.4% | +29.0% |
| 2017 | 30.0% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 32.0% | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 32.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 33.9% | +5.8% |
| 2021 | 33.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 34.4% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 34.5% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 34.7% | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 40.5% | +16.7% |
| 2026 | 40.6% | +0.4% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +29.0% | 22.8% | 29.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.7% | 17.9% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.5% | 19.5% | 32.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.0% | 33.9% | 40.6% | 7 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More gender data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Number of seats held by women in national parliaments 264 (2026)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia 13.6% (2023)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia, pregnant 14.3% (2023)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia, non-pregnant 13.5% (2023)
- Proportion of women in managerial positions - 13th ICLS 40.9% (2024)
- Adjusted gender parity index for participation rate in organized 0.9983 (2014)
- Proportion of women in senior and middle management positions - 13th 40.9% (2024)
- Proportion of women in managerial positions - 19th ICLS 40.9% (2024)
- Proportion of women in senior and middle management positions - 19th 40.9% (2024)
- Gender parity index for youth/adults with information and 0.803 (2017)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 40.6% 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 40.6% in 2026.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 2002.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 30th out of 210 countries with data for 2026.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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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