The line chart illustrates the percentage of female parliament members in five European countries from 2000 to 2012, at four-year intervals.
Overall, all five countries experienced an upward trend in the proportion of female MPs over the 12-year period. While Germany initially held the highest figure, Belgium witnessed the most dramatic increase and eventually surpassed all other nations by the end of the timeframe.
In 2000, Germany had the highest percentage of female parliamentarians at just over 30%, followed by Spain and Belgium at around 27% and 23%, respectively. By contrast, the figure for the UK stood lower at nearly 17%, while Italy recorded the lowest proportion at only about 2%. Over the next four years, most countries saw steady growth, except for the UK and Germany whose figures remained virtually unchanged, and Italy which grew only marginally to around 3%.
By 2008, significant shifts had occurred. Italy experienced a sharp surge, climbing to 23% and matching the UK’s figure, before both stabilized at this level until 2012. Meanwhile, Belgium and Spain both reached 35% in 2008; however, while Spain’s figure plateaued for the remainder of the period, Belgium continued its upward trajectory to finish at a peak of approximately 38% in 2012, becoming the leading nation. Germany also saw a slight rise to nearly 33% by the end of the period.