Share of women Members

From a low 16.6 % in the first directly elected legislature in 1979, the percentage of female Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) rose continuously after each election, reaching 41 % following the 2019 election. This figure now stands at 39.4 % – above the world average for national parliaments (26.5% at the beginning of 2023) and above the European average for national parliaments (31.0 %). However, there are large differences between Member States. At one end of the spectrum, a growing number of countries are at or around parity. At the other end, in Romania, Cyprus and Greece, women make up less than a quarter of MEPs, with Romania at the lowest end with a meagre 15 %. In Bulgaria, the share of women has risen to 29.4 % from 17.6 % in the last European Parliament term.