Women in ministerial positions — all countries

Women in ministerial positions — Sub-Saharan Africa

Women in ministerial positions in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2025 — 23.1%. Since 2005, the indicator has risen by 7.2 pp.

2025 23.1% −0.5 pp vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 24.5%2020
Period minimum 15.8%2005

Trend over time

2005–2025 · % of ministers

Women in ministerial positions — Sub-Saharan Africa, 2005–20251517.52022.525200520072009201120132015201720192021202320252005: 15.8%2008: 18.4%2010: 19.1%2012: 20.1%2014: 20.2%2015: 19.7%2016: 19.4%2018: 23.2%2019: 22.7%2020: 24.5%2022: 23.9%2023: 23.2%2024: 23.6%2025: 23.1%
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: Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa 23.1%
World 22.4%
Women in ministerial positions — Sub-Saharan Africa, by year Sub-Saharan Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2025 23.1 −0.5 pp
2024 23.6 +0.4 pp
2023 23.2 −0.7 pp
2022 23.9
2020 24.5 +1.7 pp
2019 22.7 −0.5 pp
2018 23.2
2016 19.4 −0.3 pp
2015 19.7 −0.6 pp
2014 20.2
2012 20.1
2010 19.1
2008 18.4
2005 15.8

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.