[OC] Increase in women’s representation in EU national parliaments since 1997

Following up on last Monday's post about EU countries, here's another look at how women's share of seats in national parliaments increased across the European Union from 1997 to 2025.

Key takeaway:

The average share of seats held by women in EU national parliaments increased by +16.0 percentage points between 1997 and 2025.

Biggest gains:

• Belgium +28.7%
• Slovenia +27.8%
• France +25.3%
• Croatia +25.2%

Countries that were already doing relatively well in 1997 (like Sweden and Germany) saw more modest increases, which is why they rank lower on absolute change.

Chart shows absolute change in percentage points, ordered by women's share in 2025.