As of August 2023, Cuba led the ranking of countries with the largest share of women in Parliament in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 53.4 percent. It was followed closely by Nicaragua, where 51.7 percent of the MPs (members of parliament) were female.
Women in politics
In the history of democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean, there have been little more than a dozen females leading the executive power. Some of the most recent and notorious ones have been Dilma Rousseff in Brazil, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in Argentina, Michelle Bachelet in Chile, Laura Chinchilla in Costa Rica or Xiomara Castro in Honduras. Castro has been the most recently elected female president in Latin America, making Honduras one of the only 15 countries in the world where the de facto highest position of executive power was held by a woman as of August of 2023.
Still a long way to go
The share of seats held by women in parliament in Latin America and the Caribbean region is above the global average, and it is actually the second largest one in the world, surpassed only by Australia and New Zealand. Moreover, Cuba, Nicaragua, Mexico, Bolivia, and Costa Rica have a higher percentage of females in parliament than countries such as Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, or France. This feat notwithstanding, Latin America and the Caribbean still struggles with a rather improvable performance in the gender gap index, especially when it comes to political empowerment. Even countries which seem to do better regarding gender equality, such as Cuba and Argentina have a low score in the category of political empowerment, which across all countries in the region tends to be remarkably lower than the score of the other categories: economic participation and opportunity, health and survival, and educational attainment.
Countries with the largest share of women in Parliament in Latin America and the Caribbean as of August 2023
Characteristic
Share of female MPs
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Exclusive Premium Statistic
To access all Premium Statistics, you need a paid Statista Account
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
IPU. (September 19, 2023). Countries with the largest share of women in Parliament in Latin America and the Caribbean as of August 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1264185/countries-largest-share-of-women-parliament-lac/
IPU. "Countries with the largest share of women in Parliament in Latin America and the Caribbean as of August 2023." Chart. September 19, 2023. Statista. Accessed July 17, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1264185/countries-largest-share-of-women-parliament-lac/
IPU. (2023). Countries with the largest share of women in Parliament in Latin America and the Caribbean as of August 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 17, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1264185/countries-largest-share-of-women-parliament-lac/
IPU. "Countries with The Largest Share of Women in Parliament in Latin America and The Caribbean as of August 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 19 Sep 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1264185/countries-largest-share-of-women-parliament-lac/
IPU, Countries with the largest share of women in Parliament in Latin America and the Caribbean as of August 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1264185/countries-largest-share-of-women-parliament-lac/ (last visited July 17, 2024)
Countries with the largest share of women in Parliament in Latin America and the Caribbean as of August 2023 [Graph], IPU, September 19, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1264185/countries-largest-share-of-women-parliament-lac/