Nigeria ranks 177th out of 182 countries in women’s representation in national parliaments, with women holding only 4.2 per cent of seats in the country’s federal legislature.
Data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women show that Nigeria remains one of the countries with the lowest female representation in parliament globally.
According to the data, women occupied 15 of the 356 seats in Nigeria’s House of Representatives, representing 4.2 per cent. In the Senate, women held four of the 107 seats, accounting for 3.7 per cent.
Nigeria among lowest in the world
The global ranking places Nigeria among countries with the least women’s representation in the world, with women accounting for only 4.2 per cent of its parliamentary representation.
Nigeria is ranked 177th out of 182 countries surveyed, while Tonga, Maldives, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu have lower levels of female representation among countries with women in their lower or single chambers.
The global average stands at 27.4 per cent, meaning Nigeria’s figure is less than one-sixth of the worldwide average.
Nigeria also trails the Sub-Saharan African regional average of 27.1 per cent by more than 20 percentage points. Other countries like Oman, Tuvalu and Yemen recorded no women in their national legislatures.
However, among African countries, Nigeria recorded the lowest level of female parliamentary representation.
Rwanda leads the continent and the world, with women holding 63.8per cent of parliamentary seats. It is followed by Cabo Verde at 45.8 per cent, South Africa at 44.8 per cent, Namibia at 42.3 per cent, Ethiopia at 41.9 per cent and Senegal at 41.2 per cent.
Countries with comparatively lower levels of female representation, including Botswana, The Gambia and Algeria, recorded higher figures than Nigeria.
Botswana recorded 9 per cent, The Gambia 8.6 per cent and Algeria 7.9 per cent.
Nigeria’s 4.2 per cent therefore represents the lowest figure among African countries with active, reporting national parliaments in the 2026 ranking.
Other African countries also performed significantly above the global average. Cabo Verde, South Africa, Namibia and Ethiopia all recorded female parliamentary representation of more than 40 per cent, while Senegal recorded 41.2 per cent.
Women in Nigeria’s 10th Assembly
Since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June 2023, female legislators have continued to push for greater participation in governance while advocating policies around inclusivity, development and social justice.
At the beginning of the 10th Assembly, women occupied four of the 109 Senate seats and 16 of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives.
The number of women in the House of Representatives later dropped to 15 following the death of Hon. Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga, who represented Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency of Ogun State.
However, the latest IPU and UN Women data indicate that the overall level of female representation remains extremely low by international standards.
‘2027 race highlights wider gender gap’
The low representation of women in parliament is also reflected in the approaching 2027 general elections, with women remaining marginal in the contest for the presidency.
Of the 19 presidential candidates listed for the election, only three are women, representing about 16 per cent of the candidates.
The three female presidential candidates are Ada Elizabeth Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Anita Zugwai Chukwu of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) and Esther Iken Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM).
The development reflects a broader pattern in Nigerian politics, where women participate extensively in elections but remain largely absent from positions of political decision-making.
Historical figures show that female participation in presidential contests has fluctuated since 2015.
In 2015, only one woman contested the presidency, while four women were listed as vice-presidential candidates.
Female participation increased in 2019, when five women contested the presidency and 23 contested the vice-presidency.
However, in 2023, only one woman contested the presidency, while no woman was listed as a vice-presidential candidate.
Women also missing from State Assemblies
The gender imbalance extends beyond the National Assembly. Fourteen state Houses of Assembly have no female legislator, further highlighting the limited presence of women at the sub-national level.
The affected states include Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe and Plateau, among others.
Nigeria’s Revised National Gender Policy 2021-2026, however, adopted a 35 per cent affirmative-action target for women’s participation in political and public decision-making, in line with the country’s commitments under international frameworks.
Meanwhile, the current figures remain far below that target.
One of the major proposals aimed at addressing the imbalance is the Reserved Seats Bill, a constitutional amendment proposal seeking to create additional elective seats exclusively for women in the National and state assemblies.
Under the proposal, each state and the Federal Capital Territory would have one additional Senate seat reserved for women, while the House of Representatives would have one additional women-only seat for each state and the FCT.
At the state level, each House of Assembly would have three additional seats reserved for women.
The proposed seats would have the same constitutional status, powers and privileges as existing seats, while women occupying them would still be eligible to contest regular seats.
If passed, the proposal would increase the size of the legislature to 146 senators, 397 members of the House of Representatives and 1,098 state legislators.
The bill, however, is yet to become law.