The line graph illustrates the percentage of female members of parliament in five different European countries, namely Germany, Spain, Belgium, the UK and Italy, between 2000 and 2012, at four-year intervals.
Looking at the illustration, it is immediately evident that Germany recorded the highest figure in most years, whereas the opposite was true for Italy. Additionally, most countries showed an overall upward trend, except for Germany and Spain, which experienced only slight changes towards the end of the period. The gap between the highest and lowest figures narrowed considerably over the years.
In 2000, the percentage of female members of parliament in Germany dominated the chart at approximately 31%, which was around 4 percentage points higher than Spain. Belgium ranked third at about 23%, while the UK stood at around 17%. Italy came in last, at only approximately 2%. In 2004, Germany increased slightly to about 32%, while Spain rose significantly to 36%. Meanwhile, Belgium also experienced a considerable increase, reaching approximately 35%.
In 2012, despite some fluctuations, Belgium experienced a substantial growth and reached a peak of around 38%, becoming the biggest figure in the chart. Germany also increased slightly to approximately 33%, while Spain remained stable at 35%. Meanwhile, the UK continued to rise, reaching about 23%, and Italy remained at the same level. The figures for the UK and Italy became equal at around 23%, showing a significant reduction in the gap between the highest and lowest proportions.