The line graph illustrates the changes in the percentage of female members of parliament in five European countries over the period from 2000 to 2012, measured in percentage.
Overall, an upward trend can be observed throughout the period, although some countries remained relatively stable. While Germany was the leading country in 2000, Belgium experienced the most significant growth and eventually became the highest in 2012. By contrast, Italy remained the lowest in 2000, although it increased considerably later.
In 2000, Germany emerged as the leading category, standing at approximately 31%, while Spain and Belgium followed at 27% and 23% respectively. By comparison, the figures for Italy were far less significant, at approximately 2%. However, the subsequent years witnessed several changes. While Spain rose sharply to around 36% in 2004, Belgium followed a similar trajectory, reaching approximately 35% in the same year. Germany, on the other hand, increased only slightly to about 32%.
In contrast to the trends observed in Germany and Spain, Italy followed a different pattern throughout the timeframe. Although starting from a relatively low base, Italy experienced substantial growth, rising from about 2% in 2000 to 23% in 2008. Meanwhile, the UK increased more gradually from 17% to around 23% in 2012. By the end of the timeframe, Belgium had consolidated its position as the dominant category at approximately 38%, whereas Italy and the UK were the lowest, both standing at around 23%.