Women in ministerial positions — all countries

Women in ministerial positions — Lower-middle-income countries

Women in ministerial positions in lower-middle-income countries in 2025 — 18.3%. Since 2005, the indicator has risen by 7.2 pp.

2025 18.3% −0.8 pp vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 19.1%2024
Period minimum 11%2005

Trend over time

2005–2025 · % of ministers

Women in ministerial positions — Lower-middle-income countries, 2005–20251012.51517.520200520072009201120132015201720192021202320252005: 11%2008: 13.8%2010: 14.2%2012: 15.1%2014: 15%2015: 15.8%2016: 15.2%2018: 16.6%2019: 16.9%2020: 17.4%2022: 18.8%2023: 18.8%2024: 19.1%2025: 18.3%
Change over the period: +7.2 pp Annual average: 0.36 pp

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Lower-middle-income countries

Lower-middle-income countries 18.3%
World 22.4%
Women in ministerial positions — Lower-middle-income countries, by year Lower-middle-income countries All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2025 18.3 −0.8 pp
2024 19.1 +0.3 pp
2023 18.8 +0 pp
2022 18.8
2020 17.4 +0.5 pp
2019 16.9 +0.3 pp
2018 16.6
2016 15.2 −0.6 pp
2015 15.8 +0.7 pp
2014 15
2012 15.1
2010 14.2
2008 13.8
2005 11

About the indicator

The share of women among the ministers of a government. The indicator complements the share of women in parliament and often diverges from it: parliamentary representation in many countries is backed by quotas, while the composition of a government is formed by the decision of one person or party, so it reacts faster and shifts more sharply — from zero to full parity within a single round of appointments.

Important: The aggregate for a country group is a simple average across countries rather than a weighted one: the correct weight would be the number of ministers, and the source does not publish it. A simple average answers the question of how widespread the practice is, not of how many women ministers there are in the world.

Source: World Development Indicators (World Bank), license CC BY 4.0.