Germany Lags Behind EU Average in Women's Leadership Representation
Germany ranks low in the EU for women in leadership, with only 29.1% female leaders—a figure largely unchanged since 2014 and well below the EU average of 35.2%.
- • Women hold 29.1% of leadership positions in Germany, ranking 22nd among 27 EU countries.
- • The percentage of women in leadership in Germany has barely changed since 2014.
- • The EU average of women in leadership roles is 35.2%, with Sweden leading at 44.4%.
- • Female workforce participation in Germany is 46.9%, slightly above the EU average, yet leadership representation remains low.
Key details
Germany's representation of women in leadership positions remains low and stagnant, according to recent 2024 data. Women hold only 29.1% of leadership roles in Germany, placing the country 22nd out of 27 European Union states in terms of female leadership representation. This statistic shows minimal change from 2014, when the share was 29.0%, reflecting a decade of stagnation. Meanwhile, the EU average for women in leadership increased by 3.4 percentage points to 35.2% over the same period.
In absolute terms, Germany had approximately 1.32 million men versus 540,000 women in leadership roles according to the Federal Statistical Office. Despite nearly equal workforce participation — with women representing 46.9% of the workforce slightly above the EU average of 46.4% — female leadership remains disproportionately low.
Sweden leads the EU with the highest share of women in leadership at 44.4%, followed by Latvia (43.4%) and Poland (41.8%). On the lower end, Cyprus has the smallest share at 25.3%, slightly behind Germany. Austria's female leadership percentage is considerably higher at 36.2%. Italy, with a female leadership rate of 27.9%, falls below Germany.
These figures highlight Germany's continued struggle to improve gender equality in senior positions despite stable workforce equality metrics. The data underscores the urgent need for effective measures to close the leadership gender gap in Germany. The Federal Statistical Office and other reports emphasize that while women's employment levels are near parity, their access to leadership roles remains limited and unchanged in recent years.