Full list: 12 African countries with the lowest representation of women in national parliaments in 2026

Ghana ranks eighth, with women accounting for 14.5% of parliamentary representation. The figure represents 40 women among the country’s 276 current Members of Parliament.

Tunisia records the highest percentage among the 12 countries at 15.8%, followed by Côte d’Ivoire (14.9%), while the Republic of the Congo and São Tomé and Príncipe are tied at 14.6%.

Figures provided for the ranking show that women hold just 4.2% of parliamentary seats in Nigeria, placing the West African country at the bottom of the list. Algeria follows with 6.1%, while The Gambia records 8.6%.

Botswana, the Central African Republic and Liberia also feature among the countries with the lowest representation, with women occupying 9%, 9.4% and 11% of parliamentary seats respectively.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) ranks seventh with 12.8%, while Ghana occupies eighth position, with women accounting for 14.5% of parliamentary representation.

The list also includes the Republic of the Congo and São Tomé and Príncipe, both recording 14.6%, followed by Côte d’Ivoire at 14.9% and Tunisia at 15.8%.

The figures highlight the varying levels of women’s participation in political decision-making across the continent, particularly in countries where women occupy a relatively small share of legislative seats.

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Nigeria ranks first among the 12 African countries with the lowest women’s representation in Parliament in 2026, with women occupying just 4.2% of parliamentary seats.

The figure places the West African country at the bottom of the ranking, indicating a substantial gap between the representation of men and women in its national legislature.

With such a small proportion of seats held by women, female perspectives remain limited in the country’s parliamentary decision-making structures.

Nigeria’s position is particularly notable given its status as one of Africa’s most populous countries and a major political and economic force on the continent.

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Algeria records the second-lowest level of women’s parliamentary representation among the countries featured, with women holding 6.1% of seats.

The North African country has a significantly higher percentage than Nigeria, but the figure still indicates that women occupy a small minority of positions in its legislature.

At 6.1%, women’s representation remains below 10%, placing Algeria among the African countries with particularly low female participation in parliamentary politics.

The Gambia ranks third, with women accounting for 8.6% of parliamentary seats.

The figure means that fewer than one in 10 parliamentary seats in the country is occupied by a woman, highlighting the limited presence of women in its national legislature.

Although its percentage is higher than those recorded in Nigeria and Algeria, The Gambia remains among the three countries with the lowest women’s representation in the ranking.

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Botswana occupies fourth position, with women holding 9% of parliamentary seats.

The Southern African country is among the four nations on the list where women account for less than 10% of parliamentary representation.

Its figure places it slightly above The Gambia but below the Central African Republic, Liberia and the other countries featured further down the ranking.

The result illustrates the gap between women’s participation in society and their representation in the country’s legislative decision-making structures.

The Central African Republic ranks fifth, with women occupying 9.4% of parliamentary seats.

The country is among the few in the ranking where women’s representation remains below the 10% mark.

Although its percentage is higher than those of Nigeria, Algeria, The Gambia and Botswana, women still account for fewer than one in 10 seats in its legislature.

This places the Central African Republic among the countries facing a significant representation gap in national politics.

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Liberia ranks sixth, with women accounting for 11% of parliamentary representation.

Unlike the five countries above it, Liberia has moved beyond the 10% threshold, although women continue to occupy a relatively small proportion of legislative seats.

The figure means that women hold just over one-tenth of the positions in the country’s Parliament, leaving men with the overwhelming majority of seats.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) occupies seventh position, with women holding 12.8% of parliamentary seats.

Despite being one of Africa’s largest countries by geographical area and population, the proportion of women in its legislature remains relatively low.

The 12.8% figure places DR Congo ahead of Liberia and the six countries above it, but it still means that women occupy fewer than two in every 10 parliamentary seats.

The country’s position highlights the continued challenge of translating women’s participation in public life into greater representation in national political institutions.

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Ghana ranks eighth on the list, with women accounting for 14.5% of parliamentary seats.

The figure means that women occupy fewer than 15 out of every 100 seats in the country’s legislature, leaving a considerable gender gap in parliamentary representation.

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Ghana’s Parliament has 276 current members, of whom 40 are women, representing 14.5% of the total.

The country has also passed the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024, which provides a legal framework aimed at promoting gender equality and women’s participation in decision-making.

However, the representation figure shows that women continue to hold a relatively small share of parliamentary seats.

Ghana’s position in the ranking places it ahead of Nigeria, Algeria, The Gambia, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Liberia and DR Congo, but behind the four countries occupying the final positions on the list.

The Republic of the Congo, also known simply as Congo, records 14.6% women’s representation in Parliament.

The Central African country shares the ninth position in the ranking with São Tomé and Príncipe, as both have the same reported percentage.

At 14.6%, women hold slightly more than one in seven parliamentary seats, indicating that men continue to dominate the country’s legislature.

Although its figure is higher than those of Ghana and the seven countries above it, women’s representation remains below 15%.

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São Tomé and Príncipe also records 14.6% women’s representation in Parliament, placing it joint ninth with the Republic of the Congo.

The island nation, located in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Central Africa, has the same reported percentage as Congo.

The figure means that women occupy fewer than 15% of parliamentary seats, leaving the majority of legislative positions held by men.

Its position demonstrates that low women’s representation is not limited to countries with large populations or extensive territories, as smaller African states also feature in the ranking.

Côte d’Ivoire ranks 11th, with women accounting for 14.9% of parliamentary seats.

The West African country records a slightly higher percentage than Ghana, the Republic of the Congo and São Tomé and Príncipe.

However, its figure remains below 15%, meaning that women continue to occupy a relatively small proportion of the country’s legislative positions.

The country’s position also shows that geographical proximity does not necessarily translate into similar levels of women’s representation, as neighbouring Ghana records 14.5%.

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Tunisia completes the ranking with 15.8% women’s representation in Parliament.

Although it has the highest percentage among the 12 countries featured, women still account for fewer than one in six parliamentary seats.

The North African country records a slightly higher figure than Côte d’Ivoire, which has 14.9%, but remains below the 20% mark.

Its position at the bottom of this particular list does not mean Tunisia has achieved gender parity. Rather, it indicates that it has the highest percentage of women in Parliament among the 12 countries with the lowest reported representation.

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The ranking shows that women’s representation remains below 16% in all 12 countries. Nigeria records the lowest percentage at 4.2%, while Tunisia has the highest among the countries featured at 15.8%.

Ghana’s 14.5% places it eighth, with 40 women among the 276 current members of Parliament, according to the IPU.

The figures provide a snapshot of women’s representation in national legislatures. They should not be interpreted as a measure of women’s participation in elections, political parties or other areas of public life, which are separate indicators.