Statistics and indicators on women and men
 
Table 6a. Women in Parliament  
 
 
         
Last update: December 2009
 
 
Country or area
1995
2000
2005
2007
2008
2009
Afghanistan
...
...
...
27
28
 28
Albania
6
5
...
7
7
 16
Algeria
7
3
6
7
8
 8
Andorra
4
7
29
29
25
 36
Angola
10
16
15
15
15
 37
Antigua and Barbuda
5
5
11
11
11
 11
Argentina
22
27
34
35
40
 42
Armenia
...
3
5
9
9
 8
Australia
10
22
25
25
27
 27
Austria
24
27
34
32
33
 28
Azerbaijan
2
12
11
11
11
 11
Bahamas
8
15
20
12
12
 12
Bahrain
...
...
0
3
3
 3
Bangladesh
11
9
2
15
   a
...
   b 19
Barbados
11
11
13
13
10
 10
Belarus
...
5
29
29
29
 32
Belgium
12
23
35
35
35
 35
Belize
3
7
7
7
0
 0
Benin
8
6
7
8
11
 11
Bhutan
0
2
9
3
9
 9
Bolivia
11
12
19
17
17
 17
Bosnia and Herzegovina
4
29
17
14
12
 12
Botswana
9
17
11
11
11
 8
Brazil
7
6
9
9
9
 9
Bulgaria
13
11
22
22
22
 21
Burkina Faso
4
8
12
12
15
 15
Burundi
...
14
31
31
31
 31
Cambodia
6
7
10
10
10
 21
Cameroon
12
6
9
...
14
 14
Canada
18
20
21
21
21
 22
Cape Verde
8
11
11
15
18
 18
Central African Republic
4
7
...
11
11
 11
Chad
16
2
7
7
5
 5
Chile
8
11
13
15
15
 15
China
21
22
20
20
21
 21
Colombia
11
12
12
8
8
 8
Comoros
0
...
3
3
3
 3
Congo
2
12
9
...
7
 7
Costa Rica
14
19
35
39
37
 37
Cote d'Ivoire
5
...
9
9
9
 9
Croatia
6
21
22
22
21
 21
Cuba
23
28
36
36
43
 43
Cyprus
4
7
16
14
14
 14
Czech Republic
10
15
17
16
16
 16
Dem. People's Rep. of Korea
20
20
20
20
20
 16
Dem. Republic of the Congo
5
...
12
8
8
 8
Denmark
33
37
37
37
38
 38
Djibouti
0
0
11
11
14
 14
Dominica
9
...
10
13
19
 19
Dominican Republic
12
16
17
20
20
 20
Ecuador
4
15
16
25
25
 32
Egypt
2
2
3
2
2
 2
El Salvador
11
...
11
17
17
 19
Equatorial Guinea
8
5
18
18
6
 10
Eritrea
21
15
22
22
22
 22
Estonia
13
18
19
22
21
 21
Ethiopia
5
...
...
22
22
 22
Fiji
4
...
9
...
…
Finland
34
37
38
42
42
 42
France
6
11
12
19
18
 18
Gabon
6
9
9
13
17
 17
Gambia
...
2
13
9
9
 9
Georgia
6
7
9
9
6
 5
Germany
26
31
33
32
32
 33
Ghana
8
9
11
11
11
 8
Greece
6
...
13
13
15
 17
Grenada
20
27
27
27
13
 13
Guatemala
8
9
8
8
12
 12
Guinea
7
9
19
19
19
...
   c
Guinea-Bissau
10
8
14
14
14
 10
Guyana
20
19
31
29
29
 30
Haiti
...
...
4
4
4
 4
Honduras
7
9
6
23
23
 23
Hungary
11
8
9
10
11
 11
Iceland
25
35
30
32
33
 43
India
8
9
8
8
9
 11
Indonesia
12
8
11
11
12
 18
Iran (Islamic Rep. of)
3
3
4
4
3
 3
Iraq
11
8
32
26
26
 26
Ireland
13
12
13
13
13
 13
Israel
9
13
15
14
14
 18
Italy
15
11
12
17
21
 21
Jamaica
12
13
12
12
13
 13
Japan
3
7
7
9
9
 11
Jordan
1
0
6
6
6
 6
Kazakhstan
...
10
10
10
16
 16
Kenya
3
4
7
7
9
 10
Kiribati
0
5
5
7
4
 4
Kuwait
0
0
2
3
   d
3
   e 8
Kyrgyzstan
5
2
3
0
26
 26
Lao People's Democratic Rep.
9
21
23
25
25
 25
Latvia
15
17
21
19
20
 20
Lebanon
2
2
5
5
5
 3
Lesotho
5
4
12
24
25
 24
Liberia
6
8
5
13
13
 13
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
...
...
5
8
8
 8
Liechtenstein
8
4
24
24
24
 24
Lithuania
7
18
22
25
23
 18
Luxembourg
20
17
23
23
23
 20
Madagascar
4
8
7
7
8
...
Malawi
6
8
14
14
13
 21
Malaysia
8
10
9
9
11
 11
Maldives
6
6
12
12
12
 7
Mali
2
12
10
10
10
 10
Malta
2
9
9
9
9
 9
Marshall Islands
3
3
3
3
3
 3
Mauritania
0
4
4
18
22
 22
Mauritius
3
8
17
17
17
 17
Mexico
14
...
24
23
23
 28
Micronesia (Fed. States of)
0
0
0
0
0
 0
Monaco
6
22
21
21
25
 25
Mongolia
4
...
7
7
3
 4
Montenegro
...
...
...
9
11
 6
Morocco
1
1
11
11
11
 11
Mozambique
25
30
35
35
35
 35
Namibia
18
25
27
27
27
 27
Nauru
...
...
0
0
0
 0
Nepal
...
6
6
17
33
 33
Netherlands
31
36
37
37
39
 41
New Zealand
21
31
28
32
33
 34
Nicaragua
16
10
21
19
19
 19
Niger
4
1
12
12
12
 10
Nigeria
...
3
6
...
7
 7
Norway
39
36
38
38
36
 39
Oman
...
...
2
2
0
 0
Pakistan
2
...
21
21
23
 23
Palau
0
0
0
0
0
 0
Panama
8
10
17
17
17
 9
Papua New Guinea
0
2
1
...
1
 1
Paraguay
3
3
10
10
13
 13
Peru
10
...
18
29
29
 28
Philippines
9
11
15
23
21
 18
Poland
13
13
20
20
20
 20
Portugal
9
17
21
21
28
 27
Qatar
...
...
...
0
0
 0
Republic of Korea
2
4
13
13
14
 14
Republic of Moldova
5
9
...
22
22
 26
Romania
4
7
11
11
9
 11
Russian Federation
13
8
10
10
14
 14
Rwanda
17
17
49
49
49
 56
Saint Kitts and Nevis
0
13
0
0
7
 7
Saint Lucia
0
11
11
6
   f
11
 11
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
10
5
23
18
18
 18
Samoa
4
8
6
6
8
 8
San Marino
12
13
17
12
12
 15
Sao Tome and Principe
7
9
9
7
2
 7
Saudi Arabia
...
...
0
0
0
 0
Senegal
12
12
19
22
22
 22
Serbia
3
...
...
20
22
 22
Seychelles
27
24
29
24
24
 24
Sierra Leone
...
9
15
15
13
 13
Singapore
4
4
16
25
25
 25
Slovakia
15
14
17
19
19
 19
Slovenia
14
10
12
12
12
 13
Solomon Islands
2
2
0
0
0
 0
Somalia
...
...
8
8
8
 6
South Africa
25
30
33
33
33
 45
Spain
16
28
36
36
36
 36
Sri Lanka
5
5
5
5
6
 6
Sudan
8
...
10
18
18
 18
Suriname
6
...
20
26
26
 26
Swaziland
3
3
11
11
11
 14
Sweden
40
43
45
47
47
 47
Switzerland
18
23
25
25
29
 29
Syrian Arab Republic
10
10
12
12
12
 12
Tajikistan
3
15
18
18
18
 18
Thailand
6
5
11
9
12
 12
TFYR of Macedonia
3
7
19
28
32
 28
Timor-Leste
...
...
25
28
29
 29
Togo
1
5
7
9
11
 11
Tonga
3
0
3
3
3
 3   g
Trinidad and Tobago
19
11
19
19
27
 27
Tunisia
7
12
23
23
23
 28
Turkey
2
4
4
9
9
 9
Turkmenistan
18
26
16
16
16
 17
Tuvalu
...
0
0
0
0
 0
Uganda
17
18
24
30
31
 31
Ukraine
4
8
5
9
8
 8
United Arab Emirates
0
0
0
23
23
 23
United Kingdom
10
18
20
20
20
 20
United Rep. of Tanzania
11
16
21
30
30
 30
United States of America
11
13
15
16
17
 17   h
Uruguay
7
12
11
11
12
 14
Uzbekistan
6
7
18
18
18
 18
Vanuatu
2
0
4
4
4
 4
Venezuela
6
29
10
19
19
 19
Viet Nam
18
26
27
26
26
 26
Yemen
1
1
0
0
0
 0
Zambia
7
10
13
15
15
 15
Zimbabwe
15
...
17
17
13
 15

Sources:

Inter-Parliamentary Union. Women in National Parliaments. Situation as of 30 November 2009, available from IPU website, http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif-arc.htm (accessed December 2009).

 

Footnotes:

…
 Data not available.
a
 Bangladesh: In 2004, the number of seats in parliament was raised from 300 to 345, with the addition of 45 reserved seats for women. These reserved seats were filled in September and October 2005, being allocated to political parties in proportion to their share of the national vote received in the 2001 election.
b
 Bangladesh: The parliament was dissolved on 27 October 2006. Women held 52 of the 345 seats (15%) in the outgoing parliament.
c
 Guinea: The parliament was dissolved following the December 2008 coup.
d
 Kuwait: No woman candidate was elected in the 2006 elections. One woman was appointed to the 16-member cabinet sworn in in July 2006. A new cabinet sworn in in March 2007 included two women. As cabinet ministers also sit in parliament, there are two women out of a total of 65 members.
e
 Kuwait: No woman candidate was elected in the 2008 elections. Two women were appointed to the 16-member cabinet sworn in in June 2008. As cabinet ministers also sit in parliament, there are two women out of a total of 65 members.
f
 Saint Lucia: No woman was elected in the 2006 elections. However one woman was appointed Speaker of the House and therefore became a member of the House.
g
 Tonga: No women were elected in 2008, however one woman was appointed to the Cabinet. As cabinet ministers also sit in parliament, there is one woman out of a total of 32 members.
h
 United States of America: The total refers to all voting members of the House.

 

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Technical notes:

The percentage of parliamentary seats occupied by women is calculated for the lower chamber in countries with a bicameral assembly only. Data for 1995, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 are based on the sex distribution as of 1 July 1995, 15 July 2000, and 31 July 2005, 2007, 2008 and 31 May 2009, respectively. The numbers shown reflect changes, if any, after the most recent election prior to those dates, such as results of by-election or replacements following a parliamentarian's resignation or death.