Achieving gender equality in the judiciary decision-making is essential for delivering fair justice. The General Recommendation 33 (2015) of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women notes that judicial systems must be gender-sensitive, tackle stereotypes, train judges, and ensure equal access, remedies, and dispute resolution procedures1. Equal representation of women and men in the justice system would help reduce biased rulings that result from stereotypes and unconscious bias, produce more substantive outcomes for victims of gender-based violence2, as well as improved access to justice for women and other marginalised groups. In support, the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) has adopted several strategies for Member States that aim to improve gender equality in the recruitment and promotion of judges3. The evidence indicates that there is still work to do.
The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) undertakes annual monitoring of the gender balance in key positions in the judiciary across the EU. This data talk article presents the latest available data.
European courts show progress on gender balance, but parity not yet reached
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ensures uniform interpretation and application of EU law. It is composed of two courts: the Court of Justice, with one judge per Member State, and the General Court, with two judges per Member State. In 2025, women represented 30.4 % of its judges, up from 20.3 % in 2007 (Figure 1). The CJEU has never had a single woman presiding judge4. Across its two courts, women made up 35.8 % in the General Court (19 out of 53) and 19.2 % in the Court of Justice (5 out of 265) in 2025.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights, has had more than 30 % women amongst its judges since data collection began in 2007. This share increased gradually and reached 37.0 % in 2023 but has not changed since. The ECHR had its first - and so far only - woman president from November 2022 to July 20246.
Gender parity among supreme court judges in the EU could be achieved in 2032
Supreme courts are the highest juridical bodies in each country. They rule on civil and penal cases and may deal with administrative and/or constitutional matters when no separate court exists for these functions (see Figure 4 below).
The share of women judges among supreme courts in the 27 EU Member States reached an all-time high figure of 45.5 % in 2025, up from 33.0 % two decades ago (Figure 2). This steady rise of 0.6 percentage points/year means that if progress continues at the same pace, gender parity (i.e., 50 % of each gender) could be achieved by 2032.
Gender balance at supreme courts in the EU hides sharp differences between countries
The EU‑level figure of 45.5 % women and 54.5 % men judges in national supreme courts masks major differences between the Member States. In seven countries (DK, CZ, ES, PL, PT, BE, EE), women make up less than one in three judges. In contrast men are similarly outnumbered in three others (EL, RO, BG) (Figure 3). Nine Member States have gender balanced courts, with at least 40 % of each gender7. This means that although the EU figure suggests good balance, most national supreme courts remain unevenly represented, sometimes by a wide margin.
Women still scarce at the helm of administrative and constitutional courts across the EU
Around two thirds of Member States (or 19 out of 27) have, in addition to a supreme court, separate administrative and constitutional courts. Administrative courts deal with disputes related to decisions or actions of public authorities. Constitutional courts review legislation to ensure it complies with the provisions and principles of the constitution.
In 2025, ten of the twenty-seven Member States had a woman as the presiding judge of the supreme court (37.0 %) (Figure 4). Among the nineteen Member States with a separate administrative court, five (ES, HR, LT, SI, and SE) are presided by a woman (26.3 %). There are even fewer women presiding over constitutional courts where two of the twenty presiding judges (LV and RO) are women (10 %).
Women public prosecutors triple in the EU over two decades
The public prosecutor (or prosecutor general) is the highest official responsible for the prosecution of criminal actions on behalf of the state. In some Member States, the role is shared.
In 2025, ten Member States had at least one woman serving as public prosecutor (Figure 5). This includes Belgium, Austria, and Netherlands, where the role is shared by multiple individuals. Overall, women represent 28.9 % of public prosecutor positions across the EU Member States, a significant increase from just 8.0 % two decades ago (2005).
At EU level, the European Chief Public Prosecutor has been a woman since the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor Office (EPPO) in 20198.
EIGE’s data on judiciary are made available through its Gender Statistics Database.