about 12 hours ago by Manthri.lk under Analysis

Sri Lanka’s current Parliament records the highest number of women legislators in its history, with 22 members. The 6th Parliament (2004–2010) previously held the highest number, with 14 women MPs. Despite this gradual increase, women represent only 9.8% of Parliament.

 

6th Parliament 

(2004- 2010)

7th Parliament

(2010- 2015) 

8th Parliament

(2015– 2020) 

9th Parliament 

(2020- 2024) 

10th Parliament 

(2024 – current) 

Women’s Representation (%)  

6.2% 

5.8% 

5.8% 

5.3% 

9.8% 

No. of Women MPs 

14 

13 

13 

12 

22 

 

Manthri.lk compares the women’s representation in Parliaments across countries in the South Asian Region.  Despite the increase in women’s representation, Sri Lanka still ranks fifth among the countries in the region. Only Bhutan and Maldives have lower levels of representation than Sri Lanka.

 

Country1 

Women’s Representation in Parliament (%)2,3 

Total

No. of Women MPs 

Nepal 

34.9% 

92 

Pakistan 

21.7% 

72 

Bangladesh 

16.4% 

57

India 

13.8% 

75 

Sri Lanka 

9.8% 

22 

Bhutan 

4.3% 

2 

Maldives 

3.2% 

3 

 

Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh report the highest percentages of women’s representation in the region, at 34.9%, 21.7% and 16.4% respectively.


They have structural methods to ensure higher levels of representation of women in Parliament. Nepal's Constitution mandates a one-third (33.5%) gender quota for women in the House of Representatives; Pakistan’s Constitution ensures women’s representation through 60 reserved seats in its 336-seat National Assembly4;and Bangladesh’s Constitution ensures women’s representation through 50 reserved seats5 in its 350- seat Parliament.  

 Footnotes:  

  1. The Parliament of Afghanistan is excluded from the analysis due to the dissolution of the Parliament following Taliban take over in August 2021. 
  2. The analysis calculates percentage of women MPs only for Unicameral or Lower Chambers, to enable comparison between Parliaments of different countries in the region.  
  3. Parliaments in Nepal, Pakistan, India, and Bhutan operate as Bicameral systems, each consisting of an upper and a lower chamber. 
  4. The terms House of Representatives and National Assembly refer to the lower houses of the respective legislatures in Nepal and Pakistan. 
  5. Reserved seats for women are seats that only women can be allocated to, from among women who ran in the general election. 

Sources: 

  • Parliament of Sri Lanka – Women in Parliament
  • Inter-Parliamentary Union Data -  Refer to the sheet here.
  • Constitutions of Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh   

Author Credits:  

Faiqah Feroze – Junior Research Analyst