Kyrgyzstan has been recognized as the world leader in the number of women deputies in parliament, according to a new report published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union on the United Nations website.
As of January 1, 2026, women occupy 27.5% of seats in parliamentary structures worldwide, slightly higher than the previous year when this figure was 27.2%.
Kyrgyzstan recorded the highest growth in the number of women deputies last year, where the share of women in the Jogorku Kenesh increased by 12.9%. Currently, 30 out of 90 members of parliament are women.
According to local legislation, in multi-member electoral districts, one of three mandates must be reserved for women candidates.
In second place in this ranking are Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with a rate of 12.3%. In the upper house of parliament in Saint Lucia, women make up only 9.1%.
Three countries, namely Oman, Tuvalu, and Yemen, have no women deputies in their lower houses or unicameral parliaments.
As stated in the report, quotas remain one of the most effective tools for increasing women's representation in parliamentary structures.
In 2025, in parliaments where quotas (both mandatory and voluntary) are applied, women held an average of 30.9% of seats, while in parliaments without quotas, this figure was 23.3%.
It should be noted that the report is based on the results of elections in 49 countries held in 2025. Overall, last year, the composition of 62 parliaments was renewed.
