1 in 3 parliament and government members are women in the European Union

Women held 33% of seats in national parliaments in the EU in 2020. This share has been rising since 2004, when women accounted for around one-fifth (21%) of members in national parliaments.

While the share of seats held by women in national parliaments varies considerably between EU countries, no EU country had more women than men holding seats in parliament.

In 2020, the highest share of female members in national parliaments was recorded in Sweden, where women accounted for almost a half of parliamentarians (close to 50%), ahead of Finland (46%), Belgium (43%) and Spain (both 42%). At the opposite end of the scale, the lowest shares were recorded in Hungary and Malta (both 13%).