Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) … number 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 (%) … number 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. Measured in %.
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 31st out of 212 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 (%) … number in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | 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 (%) … number 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 ratio (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 ratio (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 31st out of 212 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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