Worldwide, women now hold 27.5 percent of parliamentary seats, a mere 0.3 percent increase from 2025. This marks the slowest growth in nearly a decade, according to a new report from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
The report, released ahead of International Women’s Day, also found a dip in women’s leadership, with fewer women appointed as parliamentary speakers. Quotas were identified as a critical tool for boosting representation, with countries employing such legislation seeing significantly higher percentages of women in parliament.
The Americas lead in representation at 35.6 percent. Kyrgyzstan and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines saw notable progress. However, the Middle East and North Africa region lags, with women holding just 16.2 percent of seats. Oman, Tuvalu, and Yemen have no women MPs in their lower or single chambers.
Amidst stagnating numbers, women MPs face escalating public intimidation. A separate IPU report indicates 76 percent of women surveyed experienced public violence, compared to 68 percent of men. This trend risks discouraging women from seeking office. While some nations, like Colombia, are enacting laws to combat political violence against women, the overall pace of progress remains a concern.