As the globe increasingly realizes the critical role that women play in establishing inclusive and sustainable communities, African nations find themselves at the vanguard of a larger global gender equality movement.
Women are breaking down barriers, questioning old standards, and diving headfirst into the political arena all over the continent. Their path is about tenacity, pure determination, and a collective desire to overcome the biases that have kept them out of the political spotlight for far too long.
Rwanda emerged as the global leader in parliamentary gender diversity, with an amazing 61.3% of women in its legislature.
However, although some African countries are delighted to be at the top of worldwide rankings for female representation in government, others fall behind, striving to overcome deeply established gender inequities.
According to a study conducted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a reliable data platform for analyzing the percentage of women in national parliaments, the African countries with the lowest female participation in government as of January 1, 2023.
Here are the ten African countries with the lowest female government representation:
| Rank | Country | % of Women in parliament | Global rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 3.6 | 182 |
| 2 | Benin | 7.4 | 169 |
| 3 | Algeria | 7.9 | 168 |
| 4 | The Gambia | 8.6 | 166 |
| 5 | Liberia | 11.0 | 160 |
| 6 | Botswana | 11.1 | 158 |
| 7 | Dem. Republic of the Congo | 12.8 | 155 |
| 8 | Central African Republic | 12.9 | 154 |
| 9 | Sierra Leone | 13.0 | 153 |
| 10 | Guinea-Bissau | 13.7 | 149 |