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Gender statistics in the Western Balkans and Turkey

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Gender Statistics Database

EIGE maintains the EU-wide database on women and men in decision-making (WMID). This includes important data for all EU candidate countries and potential candidates

The main purpose of the Database is to build a broad overview of statistics on gender, highlighting differences and inequalities between women and men.

The database on women and men in decision-making (WMID) covers positions of power and influence in different areas:

  • politics
  • public administration
  • judiciary
  • business and finance
  • social partners and NGOs
  • environment
  • media
  • science
  • sports

Data is collected annually for 105 indicators and published on EIGE’s Gender Statistics Database. Very importantly, some of the indicators are also used for the development of Gender Equality Indices in the region.

Women and men in national politics and business

Across the seven EU candidate countries and potential candidates, men still outnumber women by three to one among the members of national parliaments. At the current rate of change, it will take another 17 years to achieve gender balance in the combined parliaments of all seven countries. This is seven years behind the projected time to reach gender balance in national parliaments of EU Member States.

Gender imbalance amongst key decision-makers in large corporations and financial institutions is a cause for concern. Although the proportion of women on the boards of the largest listed companies in EU candidate countries and potential candidates has increased since 2014, it still lags behind the EU Member States.

EIGE’s data collection covers 72 companies registered in the five EU candidate countries and the potential candidates that have a stock exchange and a blue-chip index of major companies (i.e. Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina). 

These are just two examples of regularly updated statistics that are collected for the Western Balkans and Turkey and available in the Gender Statistics Database.

Background information

In 2016, the collection of data under the area of women and men in decision-making covered Turkey, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro and was handled by the European Commission. In 2016, EIGE responded to the European Commission’s request to take over the database and expand the data collection to cover all 7 EU candidate countries and potential candidates, including one more candidate country (Albania) and two potential candidates (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo*).

Since then, EIGE has updated the data on women and men in decision-making in all 7 EU candidate countries and potential candidates annually.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

EIGE's Gender Statistics Database: Women and men in decision-making