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Panama

National Assembly

Political system

Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.

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Presidential system

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Structure of parliament

Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral

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Unicameral

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IPU membership

Current membership status

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Yes

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About parliament

Basic information such as the official name of parliament and details of its structure and leadership. Also includes the current breakdown of MPs by sex and age, and provisions for quotas and reserved seats.

Parliament name
Asamblea Nacional (National Assembly)
Chamber name
Asamblea Nacional (National Assembly)

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Structure & status of parliament

This field is to indicate lower/upper in the back end.

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Lower chamber
Parliamentary term (years)

Length of the parliamentary term in years

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5

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IPU membership

Affiliation periods
from 1925 to 1935
from 1958 to 1969
from 1976
IPU Geopolitical Group/s

IPU Geopolitical Groups: African Group, Arab Group, Asia-Pacific Group, Eurasia Group, Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), Twelve Plus Group.

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Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC)

Speaker

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Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the National Assembly
Speaker
Jorge Herrera (Male)
Date of birth: 28 May 1972
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2025 to 01 Jul 2026

Speaker terms

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Secretary general

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Official title

This post is most commonly called Secretary General or Clerk. It may also be called Secretary, Head/Chief of the Secretariat, Director General, etc.

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Secretary General
Secretary General
Carlos Ramón Alvarado (Male)
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Secretary general

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01 Jul 2024 to 01 Jul 2029
Notes

Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.

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Elected on 1 July 2024 for a five-year term.

Members

Statutory number of members

Statutory number of members, as defined in the constitution or other fundamental law.

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71

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Principal mode of designation of members
Directly elected

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Directly elected members

Directly elected by citizens.

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71
Current number of members

Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.

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69

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Men

The number of male parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.

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54

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Women

The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.

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15

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Percentage of women

Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.

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21.7%

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Statutory number of members per country

As defined in the constitution or other fundamental laws. Combines the number of parliamentarians in both chambers in bicameral parliaments.

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71
Population (in thousands)

Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects.

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4,459

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Inhabitants per parliamentarian

Calculated by dividing the population by the statutory number of parliamentarians.

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62,803

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Age

Data on the age of parliamentarians is collected at the start of the legislature, following the most recent elections. This data is not updated during the legislature, except when parliament notifies the IPU of a change in the youngest or oldest member.

Average age of all members

Average age of members, for which data is available, at the time of the last election or renewal.

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46.5
(2024-07)

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Youngest member
Neftali Omar Zamora Ibarra (Male)
Youngest member (years)

Age is calculated at the time the member was elected/appointed to a new legislature. Data is not updated during the legislature unless the member is no longer a member.

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24

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Oldest member
Carlos Tito Afú (Male)
Oldest member (years)

Age is calculated at the time the member was elected/appointed to a new legislature. Data is not updated during the legislature unless the member is no longer a member.

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74

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Number of members, by age (2024-07)
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male 0 8 13 7 4 11 10 1 0 0 54
Female 0 0 3 3 5 3 1 0 0 0 15
Totals per age interval 0 8 16 10 9 14 11 1 0 0 69
Total <= 45: 34 Total >= 46: 35
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger

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11.6% 11.6% 0.0%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger

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34.8% 30% 4.3%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger

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49.3% 41% 8.7%
Members for whom data is available

Number of members, at the start of the legislature, for whom age data is available

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69
(2024-07)

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups

Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.

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No

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Electoral quota for women

Quotas to promote gender-balanced representation in parliament

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Yes

Notes: Nomination lists of political parties presented for primaries and internal elections should include 50% women. These lists should be certified by a representative of the women’s secretariats in political parties. If the level of women’s participation is less than the standard provided by this article, and this is attested by the women’s secretariat, the party can fill the vacant candidacies with male candidates. (Source: https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/gender-quotas )

Sources: Electoral Code of Panama, article 239 (amended by Law 54, 2012, Article 6),

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Youth quota

Quotas to promote the representation of youth in parliament.

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No

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Links to additional information

Parliamentary website

Link(s) to parliamentary web site in English, French and/or local languages.

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List of members

Link(s) to list of members on the parliamentary web site.

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No information available
Rules of procedure/Standing Orders

Link(s) to Rules of procedure on the parliamentary web site in English, French and/or local language.

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Constitution

Official links to the Constitution in English, French and/or original language is provided. Links to unofficial translations where no other source is available.

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Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Updated at IPU membership
1976-01 Yes
1969-01 No
1958-01 Yes
1936-01 No
1925-01 Yes

Historical data for Chamber name

Historical data for Chamber name
Updated at Chamber name
1946-01 Asamblea Nacional (National Assembly)
- National Assembly
Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the National Assembly
Speaker
Jorge Herrera (Male)
Date of birth: 28 May 1972
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2025 to 01 Jul 2026
Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the National Assembly
Speaker
Dana Castañeda (Female)
Date of birth: 08 Feb 1968
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2024 to 01 Jul 2025
Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the National Assembly
Speaker
Jaime Edgardo Vargas Centella (Male)
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2023 to 01 Jul 2024
Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the National Assembly
Speaker
Crispiano Adames (Male)
Date of birth: 1961
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2021 to 01 Jul 2023
Additional information

Elected on 1 July 2021.

Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the National Assembly
Speaker
Marcos Castillero (Male)
Date of birth: 1974
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2019 to 01 Jul 2021
Additional information

Elected on 1 July 2019, re-elected on 1 July 2020.

Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the Legislative Assembly
Speaker
Yanibel Ábrego (Female)
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2017 to 01 Jul 2019

Historical data for Speaker

Historical data for Speaker
Updated at Speaker
2025-07
Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the National Assembly
Speaker
Jorge Herrera (Male)
Date of birth: 28 May 1972
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2025 to 01 Jul 2026
2024-07
Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the National Assembly
Speaker
Dana Castañeda (Female)
Date of birth: 08 Feb 1968
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2024 to 01 Jul 2025
2023-07
Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the National Assembly
Speaker
Jaime Edgardo Vargas Centella (Male)
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2023 to 01 Jul 2024
2021-07
Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the National Assembly
Speaker
Crispiano Adames (Male)
Date of birth: 1961
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2021 to 01 Jul 2023
Additional information

Elected on 1 July 2021.

2019-07
Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the National Assembly
Speaker
Marcos Castillero (Male)
Date of birth: 1974
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2019 to 01 Jul 2021
Additional information

Elected on 1 July 2019, re-elected on 1 July 2020.

-
Official title

The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.

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President of the Legislative Assembly
Speaker
Yanibel Ábrego (Female)
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker

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01 Jul 2017 to 01 Jul 2019
The term of the Speaker is different from the term of the house

The term of the Speaker may be different from the term of the House (legislature).

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No
Speaker's term

The term may be shorter than one year.

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1 Years
Fixed election date for the Speaker, if any

Speakers in several parliaments are elected on a fixed date in accordance with the Constitution.

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1 July
The term of the Speaker is different from the term of the house

The term of the Speaker may be different from the term of the House (legislature).

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No
Speaker's term

The term may be shorter than one year.

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1 Years
Fixed election date for the Speaker, if any

Speakers in several parliaments are elected on a fixed date in accordance with the Constitution.

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1 July
The term of the Speaker is different from the term of the house

The term of the Speaker may be different from the term of the House (legislature).

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No
Speaker's term

The term may be shorter than one year.

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1 Years
Fixed election date for the Speaker, if any

Speakers in several parliaments are elected on a fixed date in accordance with the Constitution.

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1 July

Historical data for Speaker terms

Historical data for Speaker terms
Updated at Speaker terms
2019-05
The term of the Speaker is different from the term of the house

The term of the Speaker may be different from the term of the House (legislature).

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No
Speaker's term

The term may be shorter than one year.

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1 Years
Fixed election date for the Speaker, if any

Speakers in several parliaments are elected on a fixed date in accordance with the Constitution.

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1 July
2018-01
The term of the Speaker is different from the term of the house

The term of the Speaker may be different from the term of the House (legislature).

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No
Speaker's term

The term may be shorter than one year.

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1 Years
Fixed election date for the Speaker, if any

Speakers in several parliaments are elected on a fixed date in accordance with the Constitution.

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1 July
2017-07
The term of the Speaker is different from the term of the house

The term of the Speaker may be different from the term of the House (legislature).

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No
Speaker's term

The term may be shorter than one year.

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1 Years
Fixed election date for the Speaker, if any

Speakers in several parliaments are elected on a fixed date in accordance with the Constitution.

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1 July
Official title

This post is most commonly called Secretary General or Clerk. It may also be called Secretary, Head/Chief of the Secretariat, Director General, etc.

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Secretary General
Secretary General
Carlos Ramón Alvarado (Male)
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Secretary general

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01 Jul 2024 to 01 Jul 2029
Notes

Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.

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Elected on 1 July 2024 for a five-year term.

Official title

This post is most commonly called Secretary General or Clerk. It may also be called Secretary, Head/Chief of the Secretariat, Director General, etc.

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Secretary General
Secretary General
Quibián Panay (Male)
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Secretary general

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01 Jul 2019 to 01 Jul 2014
Notes

Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.

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Elected on 1 July 2019 for a five-year term.

Historical data for Secretary general

Historical data for Secretary general
Updated at Secretary general
2024-07
Official title

This post is most commonly called Secretary General or Clerk. It may also be called Secretary, Head/Chief of the Secretariat, Director General, etc.

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Secretary General
Secretary General
Carlos Ramón Alvarado (Male)
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Secretary general

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01 Jul 2024 to 01 Jul 2029
Notes

Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.

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Elected on 1 July 2024 for a five-year term.

2019-07
Official title

This post is most commonly called Secretary General or Clerk. It may also be called Secretary, Head/Chief of the Secretariat, Director General, etc.

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Secretary General
Secretary General
Quibián Panay (Male)
Term

Start (and end) of the term of the Secretary general

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01 Jul 2019 to 01 Jul 2014
Notes

Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.

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Elected on 1 July 2019 for a five-year term.

Historical data for Current number of members

Historical data for Current number of members
Updated at Current number of members
2024-12 69
2015-06 70
2014-05 57
2009-05 71
2004-05 78
1994-01 72
1984-01 67
1980-01 56
1978-01 37
1972-01 16
1968-01 38
1964-01 42
1952-01 53
1948-01 42
1946-01 50

Historical data for Men

Historical data for Men
Updated at Men
2024-12 54
2024-05 55
2019-12 55
2019-05 56

Historical data for Women

Historical data for Women
Updated at Women
2024-05 15
2019-12 16
2019-05 15
2015-06 13
2014-05 11
2009-05 6
2004-05 13
1999-01 7
1998-01 6
1997-01 7
1994-01 6
1989-01 5
1984-01 4
1982-01 1
1978-01 3
1972-01 0
1964-01 1
1956-01 2
1948-01 1
1946-01 2

Historical data for Percentage of women

Historical data for Percentage of women
Updated at Percentage of women
2024-12 21.7%
2024-05 21.4%
2019-12 22.9%
2019-05 21.4%
2015-06 18.6%
2014-05 19.3%
2009-05 8.5%
2004-05 16.7%
1999-01 9.7%
1998-01 8.3%
1997-01 9.7%
1994-01 8.3%
1989-01 7.5%
1984-01 6.0%
1982-01 1.8%
1980-01 5.4%
1978-01 8.1%
1972-01 0.0%
1968-01 2.6%
1964-01 2.4%
1956-01 3.8%
1952-01 1.9%
1948-01 2.4%
1946-01 4.0%

Historical data for Population (in thousands)

Historical data for Population (in thousands)
Updated at Population (in thousands)
2023-01 4,459
2022-01 4,401
2021-01 4,345
2015-01 3,969
2014-01 3,904
2013-01 3,838
2012-01 3,773
2011-01 3,708
2010-01 3,643
2009-01 3,579
2008-01 3,516
2007-01 3,454
2006-01 3,392
2005-01 3,330
2004-01 3,270
2003-01 3,209
2002-01 3,149
2001-01 3,090
2000-01 3,030
1999-01 2,971
1998-01 2,912
1997-01 2,854
1996-01 2,796
1995-01 2,740
1994-01 2,684
1993-01 2,630
1992-01 2,576
1991-01 2,523
1990-01 2,471
1989-01 2,419
1988-01 2,369
1987-01 2,318
1986-01 2,269
1985-01 2,219
1984-01 2,170
1983-01 2,122
1982-01 2,074
1981-01 2,026
1980-01 1,979
1979-01 1,931
1978-01 1,885
1977-01 1,838
1976-01 1,791
1975-01 1,745
1974-01 1,699
1973-01 1,653
1972-01 1,608
1971-01 1,563
1970-01 1,519
1969-01 1,476
1968-01 1,435
1967-01 1,394
1966-01 1,354
1965-01 1,315
1964-01 1,276
1963-01 1,239
1962-01 1,202
1961-01 1,167
1960-01 1,133
1959-01 1,100
1958-01 1,068
1957-01 1,038
1956-01 1,009
1955-01 981
1954-01 954
1953-01 929
1952-01 904
1951-01 881
1950-01 860

Historical data for Inhabitants per parliamentarian

Historical data for Inhabitants per parliamentarian
Updated at Inhabitants per parliamentarian
2023-01 62,803
2022-01 61,986
2021-01 61,197
2015-01 55,901
2014-01 54,986
2013-01 54,056
2012-01 53,141
2011-01 52,225
2010-01 51,310
2009-01 50,408
2008-01 49,521
2007-01 48,648
2006-01 47,775
2005-01 46,901
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male 0 8 13 7 4 11 10 1 0 0 54
Female 0 0 3 3 5 3 1 0 0 0 15
Totals per age interval 0 8 16 10 9 14 11 1 0 0 69
Total <= 45: 34 Total >= 46: 35
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger

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11.6% 11.6% 0.0%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger

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34.8% 30% 4.3%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger

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49.3% 41% 8.7%

Historical data for Breakdown of members by age and sex

Historical data for Breakdown of members by age and sex
Updated at Breakdown of members by age and sex
2024-07
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male 0 8 13 7 4 11 10 1 0 0 54
Female 0 0 3 3 5 3 1 0 0 0 15
Totals per age interval 0 8 16 10 9 14 11 1 0 0 69
Total <= 45: 34 Total >= 46: 35
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger

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11.6% 11.6% 0.0%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger

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34.8% 30% 4.3%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger

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49.3% 41% 8.7%

Historical data for Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger

Historical data for Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
Updated at Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
2024-07 11.6%