Share of women in parliament in Zambia
Zambia: Share of women in parliament was 15.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
15.0%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
141st
of 174 countries
All-time high
18.0%
in 2016
All-time low
0.0%
in 1926
Years of data
100
1926–2025
Share of women in parliament in Zambia, 1926–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 15.0% for share of women in parliament in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women in parliament in Zambia peaked at 18.0% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1926.
Zambia ranks 141st of 174 countries on this measure, 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 in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 0.0% | — |
| 1947 | 0.0% | — |
| 1948 | 0.0% | — |
| 1949 | 0.0% | — |
| 1950 | 0.0% | — |
| 1951 | 0.0% | — |
| 1952 | 0.0% | — |
| 1953 | 0.0% | — |
| 1954 | 0.0% | — |
| 1955 | 0.0% | — |
| 1956 | 0.0% | — |
| 1957 | 0.0% | — |
| 1958 | 0.0% | — |
| 1959 | 0.0% | — |
| 1960 | 0.0% | — |
| 1961 | 0.0% | — |
| 1962 | 0.0% | — |
| 1963 | 0.0% | — |
| 1964 | 5.3% | — |
| 1965 | 5.3% | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1.8% | -65.7% |
| 1969 | 1.8% | -1.0% |
| 1970 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 5.1% | +185.9% |
| 1974 | 5.9% | +14.6% |
| 1975 | 5.9% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 5.9% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 5.9% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 4.4% | -25.2% |
| 1979 | 4.4% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 4.4% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 4.4% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 4.4% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2.9% | -33.2% |
| 1984 | 2.9% | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 5.1% | +74.9% |
| 1989 | 6.6% | +30.1% |
| 1990 | 6.6% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 4.4% | -32.9% |
| 1992 | 6.7% | +51.2% |
| 1993 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 9.5% | +41.7% |
| 1997 | 9.7% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 10.3% | +6.2% |
| 1999 | 10.1% | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 10.1% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 12.0% | +18.8% |
| 2002 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 14.7% | +21.8% |
| 2007 | 15.2% | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 14.6% | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 14.0% | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 14.0% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 11.0% | -21.7% |
| 2012 | 10.8% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 10.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12.7% | +17.7% |
| 2015 | 12.7% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 18.0% | +41.9% |
| 2017 | 18.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 18.0% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 16.8% | -6.6% |
| 2020 | 16.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 15.1% | -10.2% |
| 2022 | 15.0% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 15.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 15.0% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 15.0% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 4 |
| 1930s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.5% | 0.0% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.3% | 1.8% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.9% | 2.9% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.7% | 4.4% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.9% | 10.1% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.2% | 10.8% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.3% | 15.0% | 16.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More gender data for Zambia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 9,719 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.61 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 340,219 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 341,639 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 331,557 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 332,331 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 324,712 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 325,021 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 318,536 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 318,579 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women in parliament in Zambia?
- Share of women in parliament in Zambia was 15.0% in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women in parliament recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 18.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of women in parliament recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1926.
- How does Zambia rank for share of women in parliament?
- Zambia ranks 141st out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of women in parliament rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia 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 — 100 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.