# Female leadership representation in Germany

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/female-leadership-representation-in-germany
> Updated: 2026-10-19T07:30:40.000Z. Sources: 16. Developments: 2.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, women held 28.9% of approximately 376,000 executive roles in 2025. While this represents a slight increase from 26.0% in 2015, a disparity exists in working models; women comprise 64.9% of part-time executives but only 24.7% of full-time executives. Representation also varies by age, peaking at 34% to 35% for those under 44 and dropping to 23.5% for those aged 55 and older.

On a national level, data from the German Federal Statistical Office and Eurostat shows that women occupied 30.3% of management positions in Germany in 2025. This figure remains below the European Union average of 35.9%. Although Germany experienced a 1.0 percentage point increase in female leadership over the last decade—rising from 29.3% in 2015 to 30.3% in 2025—this growth rate lags behind the EU-wide increase of 4.0 percentage points. This disparity is highlighted by the fact that women make up 47.1% of the German workforce, a figure slightly above the EU average of 46.5%.

Within the EU, Sweden leads with a 44.4% share of female leaders, followed by Latvia (43.8%) and Estonia (43.1%). Austria reported 37.2% of women in top positions, while Poland showed high representation at 42.5%. Cyprus reported the lowest share at 25.9%, with Italy (28.6%) and the Netherlands (30%) also trailing the EU average. In contrast to management roles, women held 42.6% of government seats as of the third quarter of 2026.

## Claims

- In 2025, women held 30.3 percent of leadership positions in Germany. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- The European Union average for women in leadership positions is 35.9 percent. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- Sweden has the highest share of women in leadership positions in the EU at 44.4 percent. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- Cyprus has the lowest share of women in leadership positions in the EU at 25.9 percent. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- The share of female leaders in Germany increased by 1.0 percentage point over ten years. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- Women accounted for 47.1 percent of all employed persons in Germany in 2025. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- The EU average increase in female leadership over ten years was 4.0 percentage points. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- Austria's share of women in leadership positions was 37.2 percent in 2025. (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-10-19: Germany's female leadership share falls below EU average

Women hold only 30.3% of leadership positions in Germany, falling below the EU average of 35.9% despite making up 47.1% of the workforce. Sweden leads the EU with 44.4% female leadership.

14 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/germanys-female-leadership-share-falls-below-eu-average

### 2026-09-20: Women hold 28.9% of executive roles in North Rhine-Westphalia

In 2025, women held 28.9% of executive positions in North Rhine-Westphalia, significantly trailing their 47.1% share of the total workforce.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/women-hold-289-of-executive-roles-in-north-rhine-westphalia

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Cite as: Female leadership representation in Germany. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/female-leadership-representation-in-germany