63.8% of Rwanda's parliament are women as of 2024 - highest in the world

Key Takeaways

  • Rwanda is a global leader in gender-inclusive governance, with nearly two-thirds (63.8%) of its parliament occupied by women.
  • Latin American nations dominate the list, with Cuba (55.7%), Nicaragua (55.0%), and Mexico (50.2%) showing strong female political participation.
  • The UAE stands out as the only Middle Eastern country in the top 10, achieving 50% female representation.
  • Despite being a high-income European nation, Monaco has the lowest representation among the top 10, with women holding only 45.8% of seats.

For years, gender equality in governance has been a challenge, but some nations are breaking the norm. Rwanda has redefined global politics, with 63.8% of its parliament made up of women, the highest in the world. This remarkable achievement is rooted in post-genocide reforms that prioritised gender equity in leadership.

Cuba (55.7%) and Nicaragua (55.0%) have also emerged as global leaders, reflecting a strong cultural and political push for female representation in Latin America. Meanwhile, Mexico, Andorra, and the UAE all boast at least 50% female parliamentarians, signalling significant progress in gender-balanced governance. Despite its wealth, Monaco lags with 45.8% female representation, proving that economic status doesn’t always equate to gender parity.

This ranking highlights the growing role of women in shaping policies worldwide and the varying levels of commitment to political inclusion across regions.

Source:

Global data on national parliament

Period:

Based on latest elections from 2020–2024
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Click to copy HTML embed code
Tags
Related Insights
Women-led businesses in Africa receive only a fraction of available capital despite high entrepreneurship rates​​
  • Women-led businesses in Africa raise significantly less funding than male-led counterparts. In 2017, female-led startups secured only $1 for every $25 raised by male-led startups, and this disparity persisted through 2024.
  • Despite making up 26% of all entrepreneurs in Africa, women receive less than 10% of total investment capital.
  • Women in Africa face structural financing challenges, including limited collateral, fewer investment networks, and biases in lending decisions.
  • While some countries have introduced financial inclusion programmes, overall access to credit for women remains disproportionately low.
  • The rise of women-focused venture funds, such as WIC Capital and Janngo, signals a slow but emerging shift towards more equitable funding distribution.
  • If this trend continues, Africa risks stifling economic growth by not fully leveraging the entrepreneurial potential of women-led businesses.​​
Sudan is the leading country with the highest total number of individuals requiring assistance, alongside its UN targets among African nations
Key takeaways:
  • Mozambique has the fewest individuals requiring support from the United Nations.
  • The UN plans to help 3.6 million of the 7.8 million people in Nigeria who require assistance.
  • Sudan is the only Northern African country recorded by the UN as having people in need.
  • In East and Southern Africa, the countries with the highest and lowest numbers of individuals in need are Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, respectively.
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger have the highest and lowest number of individuals needing assistance, respectively, in West and Central Africa.
Met and unmet United Nations (UN) requirements for Nigeria's humanitarian support (2016-2024)
Key takeaways:
  • The highest percentage of requirements was met in 2019.
  • Less than 50 percent of UN funds targeted towards Nigeria's humanitarian aid was realised in 2023.
  • As of 2020, the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, approximately 58 percent of the UN target for Nigeria's humanitarian support was raised, which is lower than the percentage realised in 2019 and 2021.
  • Every year, Nigeria obtains at least 40% of the UN's humanitarian aid needs.
The United Nations' (UN) achieved requirements for Nigeria’s humanitarian response plan (2016 - 2024)
Key takeaways:
  • The highest amount of funds raised for Nigeria’s humanitarian aid was recorded in 2017 at $770 million.
  • From 2019 to 2020, there was only a slight increase of 0.3% in the amount raised.
  • By 2023, a decline of 23.42% from 2022's raised funds was witnessed, and it is the lowest decline experienced since 2017.
  • Regardless of fluctuations in annual assistance, Nigeria continued to receive humanitarian aid from the United Nations.
Top 10 Countries With The Most Number of U.S. Military Bases
  • Japan leads with 14 bases. It hosts the most U.S. bases globally, exceeding individual counts in the Philippines (9) and South Korea (8).
  • Asia-Pacific Dominance: The region (Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Australia, and Papua New Guinea) accounts for 41 bases, nearly 1/3 of the global total.
  • The Asia-Pacific region hosts 41 U.S. bases, while Europe (Italy, Germany, Poland, UK) has 23. This indicates a growing strategic pivot towards the Pacific compared to traditional European deployments.
  •  Kuwait (5 bases) stands out as the primary hub for U.S. military operations in the Middle East, highlighting its role as a key staging ground for regional security.
  • The top 10 host countries account for 69 of the 128 total bases (over 53%), meaning nearly half of U.S. overseas bases are spread across the remaining 39 countries.
Population of people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2025 - Top 15 countries
Key takeaways:  
  • Most countries can only target 50-70% of their populations in need.
  • Sudan has the greatest humanitarian requirements, with 30.44 million people affected, and it is projected that only 69% will receive help, leaving 10 million individuals unsupported.
  • Myanmar exhibits the largest gap, with over 19.9 million people in need and only 5.5 million targeted for assistance.
  • The situation in Ukraine leaves nearly 7 million individuals without adequate assistance while targeting approximately 6 million individuals.
POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form
A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved