How India Compares With World On Women Representation In Parliament

Last Updated:April 17, 2026, 16:52 IST

Women account for about 15% of members in the Parliament of India, well short of the global average of around 26–27%.

India remains below the global average when it comes to women’s presence in lawmaking, even as the government moves to expand quotas. Women account for about 15% of members in the Parliament of India, well short of the global average of around 26–27%, according to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN Women.

This comes as the Centre has notified provisions linked to the Women’s Reservation Act 2023 for Union Territories and Jammu and Kashmir from Friday.

The law—also called the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam‘—promises to reserve one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, though its full rollout is still tied to a future delimitation exercise.

ALSO READ: Delimitation To Women’s Reservation: What’s Behind Three Bills Being Debated Together In Parliament?

India’s Numbers In Focus

The current strength of women MPs shows the scale of the gap. There are 78 women in the 542-member Lok Sabha and 24 in the 224-member Rajya Sabha, according to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

Globally, women now account for about 27.5% of parliamentarians, up sharply from 11% in 1995. Some countries have gone much further.

Rwanda leads with about 64% women in its lower house, while Cuba, Nicaragua and Bolivia have also crossed 50%. Even beyond these leaders, at least 30 countries have reached or exceeded 40% representation.

Regionally, India is closer to the lower end. Women hold about 33% of seats in Europe and North America, and 37% in Latin America and the Caribbean. In Asia, the average is lower but still comparable or ahead in several cases. At the other end, there are still countries where women account for less than 10% of MPs.

Despite gains, progress remains slow worldwide. UN Women estimates that gender parity in national legislatures may not be achieved before 2063 at the current pace.

The imbalance is even sharper in executive roles. As of early 2026, only a small number of countries have women serving as heads of state or government, and women hold just over one-fifth of cabinet positions globally.

Women leaders are also often concentrated in social sectors such as family welfare or gender equality, with fewer holding key economic or security portfolios.

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