Latvia leads Baltic states in elected women politicians

Things get off in a suitably eye-opening manner with this striking set of statistics:

"In the past twenty-five years, the population declined in each country. In Latvia and Lithuania, population decreased the most – respectively by 25.7% and 24.4%. In Estonia, population declined the least – by 12.3%, or approximately half of the percentage change of the other two countries."

The Baltic states have also maintained their reputation for having women outnumbering men by a wider margin than elsewhere in the world:

"At the beginning of 2019, the proportion of women and men was nearly the same in the three countries. Women accounted for 53% of the total population in Estonia. In Latvia and Lithuania, the proportion of women was equal and stood at 54%." 

In the world of politics, Latvia is the most progressive of the Baltic states in some respects - though there is certainly still room for considerable improvement:

"Women are the most unequally represented in the parliament of Lithuania (Seimas) as there are only 30 women out of 141 members (21%), whereas the proportion of women in the parliament of Estonia (Riigikogu) is larger – 29 females out of 101 members (29%). Comparing all three Baltic states, women are the most equally represented in the parliament of Latvia (Saeima), as women accounted for 31 out of 100 members (31%) at the last elections."

Latvia is also ahead in terms of government representation of women:

"Currently, representation of women in the Government differs, the biggest share of women in the Government in Latvia was 21%, there are three female ministers out of 14 and in the Government of Estonia – two out of 15 (13%). In the Government of Lithuania, currently only one woman (7%) takes a ministerial position out of 14."

At local level, too, Latvia is leading, as women make up 34% of local government members, while in Estonia and Lithuania the figure is currently 29%. And at European Parliament level, Latvia has already achieved parity between the sexes with the country's allocation of 8 MEPs split evenly between men and women. 

The data is all available to read and explore online and is very attractively presented.