Proportion of women in ministerial level positions in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Proportion of women in ministerial level positions was 25.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of women in ministerial level positions in Africa Eastern and Southern, 2005–2025
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). Women in Politics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, proportion of women in ministerial level positions in Africa Eastern and Southern stood at 25.9%.
The figure is down 2.1% on the previous year and up 19.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of women in ministerial level positions in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 29.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 2005.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 11th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Proportion of women in ministerial level positions in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 16.4% | — |
| 2008 | 19.9% | +21.2% |
| 2010 | 21.7% | +8.9% |
| 2012 | 22.0% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 23.5% | +7.1% |
| 2015 | 21.7% | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 21.2% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 28.8% | +36.2% |
| 2019 | 26.7% | -7.3% |
| 2020 | 29.4% | +10.2% |
| 2022 | 29.1% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 26.4% | -9.1% |
| 2024 | 26.5% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 25.9% | -2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.1% | 16.4% | 19.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 23.7% | 21.2% | 28.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 27.4% | 25.9% | 29.4% | 5 |
More gender data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Labor force, female 141.40 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.1792 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 3.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Labor force, female, per square kilometre 9.11 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-49, female 1.57 per 1,000 uninfected female population ages 15-49 (2024)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-49, male 0.8311 per 1,000 uninfected male population ages 15-49 (2024)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-24, female 1.98 per 1,000 uninfected female population ages 15-24 (2024)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-24, male 0.6099 per 1,000 uninfected male population ages 15-24 (2024)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) 131.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of women in ministerial level positions in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Proportion of women in ministerial level positions in Africa Eastern and Southern was 25.9% in 2025, according to Inter-Parliamentary Union. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). Women in Politics.
- What is the highest proportion of women in ministerial level positions recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 29.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest proportion of women in ministerial level positions recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 2005.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for proportion of women in ministerial level positions?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 11th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of women in ministerial level positions rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from Inter-Parliamentary Union. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). Women in Politics, published as part of Proportion of women in ministerial level positions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Women in ministerial level positions is the proportion of women in ministerial or equivalent positions (including deputy prime ministers) in the government. Prime Ministers/Heads of Government are included when they hold ministerial portfolios. Vice-Presidents and heads of governmental or public agencies are excluded.