The Pacific region—excluding Australia, New Zealand, and the French Territories—continues to have the lowest level of women’s political representation in the world. As of recent data, only around 9% of Members of Parliament (MPs) in the region are women, compared to the global average of about 26% 1.

Out of 559 MPs across 15 Pacific Island countries, only around 52 are women. This includes countries like Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). While there has been some progress, the pace of change remains slow.

There have been some notable milestones:

• Hilda Heine served as President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands from 2016 to 2020—the first woman to hold this role in the Pacific.She was re-elected to the position in January 2024
• Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa became Samoa’s first female Prime Minister in 2021, after previously serving as Deputy Prime Minister.
• To make real progress, the region needs innovative and long-term strategies—such as:
• Supporting women across the entire electoral cycle (before, during, and after elections),
• Building networks of male allies who advocate for women in politics,
• And ensuring that local governance structures also reflect gender balance.

The 15 Pacific Island countries covered by UNDP include:, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru,Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands,Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

Territories ( Cook Islands,  Niue, Tokelau and Bougainville)