Share of women in parliament (V-Dem) in Japan
Japan: Share of women in parliament (V-Dem) was 15.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
15.7%
Change on year
up 45.4%
World rank
139th
of 174 countries
All-time high
15.7%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Share of women in parliament in Japan, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of women in parliament in Japan stood at 15.7%. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 45.4% on the previous year and up 65.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women in parliament in Japan peaked at 15.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1900.
That places Japan 139th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of women in parliament (V-Dem) in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.0% | — |
| 1901 | 0.0% | — |
| 1902 | 0.0% | — |
| 1903 | 0.0% | — |
| 1904 | 0.0% | — |
| 1905 | 0.0% | — |
| 1906 | 0.0% | — |
| 1907 | 0.0% | — |
| 1908 | 0.0% | — |
| 1909 | 0.0% | — |
| 1910 | 0.0% | — |
| 1911 | 0.0% | — |
| 1912 | 0.0% | — |
| 1913 | 0.0% | — |
| 1914 | 0.0% | — |
| 1915 | 0.0% | — |
| 1916 | 0.0% | — |
| 1917 | 0.0% | — |
| 1918 | 0.0% | — |
| 1919 | 0.0% | — |
| 1920 | 0.0% | — |
| 1921 | 0.0% | — |
| 1922 | 0.0% | — |
| 1923 | 0.0% | — |
| 1924 | 0.0% | — |
| 1925 | 0.0% | — |
| 1926 | 0.0% | — |
| 1927 | 0.0% | — |
| 1928 | 0.0% | — |
| 1929 | 0.0% | — |
| 1930 | 0.0% | — |
| 1931 | 0.0% | — |
| 1932 | 0.0% | — |
| 1933 | 0.0% | — |
| 1934 | 0.0% | — |
| 1935 | 0.0% | — |
| 1936 | 0.0% | — |
| 1937 | 0.0% | — |
| 1938 | 0.0% | — |
| 1939 | 0.0% | — |
| 1940 | 0.0% | — |
| 1941 | 0.0% | — |
| 1942 | 0.0% | — |
| 1943 | 0.0% | — |
| 1944 | 0.0% | — |
| 1945 | 0.0% | — |
| 1946 | 8.4% | — |
| 1947 | 3.2% | -61.9% |
| 1948 | 3.2% | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 2.6% | -18.8% |
| 1950 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 1.9% | -26.9% |
| 1953 | 1.9% | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 1.9% | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 1.7% | -10.5% |
| 1956 | 1.7% | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 1.7% | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 2.4% | +41.2% |
| 1959 | 2.4% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 1.5% | -37.5% |
| 1961 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1.4% | -6.7% |
| 1968 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1.6% | +14.3% |
| 1970 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.4% | -12.5% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1.2% | -14.3% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2.2% | +83.3% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | -18.2% |
| 1981 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.6% | -11.1% |
| 1984 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | -12.5% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.3% | +64.3% |
| 1991 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2.7% | +17.4% |
| 1994 | 2.7% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 2.7% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4.6% | +70.4% |
| 1997 | 4.6% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4.6% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4.6% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7.3% | +58.5% |
| 2001 | 7.3% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7.1% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 7.1% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 9.0% | +26.6% |
| 2006 | 9.4% | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 9.0% | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 9.0% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 11.2% | +25.6% |
| 2010 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7.9% | -29.6% |
| 2013 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9.5% | +19.6% |
| 2015 | 9.5% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9.3% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 10.1% | +9.2% |
| 2018 | 10.2% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 9.9% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 9.9% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 9.9% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 9.9% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 10.3% | +4.4% |
| 2024 | 10.8% | +4.4% |
| 2025 | 15.7% | +45.4% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 15.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 31.3%, 50% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Japan's 15.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20.0%, 79% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.7% | 0.0% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.1% | 1.7% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.3% | 2.3% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.4% | 7.1% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.7% | 7.9% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.1% | 9.9% | 15.7% | 6 |
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 share of women in parliament in Japan?
- Share of women in parliament in Japan was 15.7% in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women in parliament recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 15.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of women in parliament recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1900.
- How does Japan rank for share of women in parliament?
- Japan ranks 139th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of women in parliament rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 65.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women in parliament. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of women in the lower or single chamber of the legislature.