The proportion of female managers in Germany remains low

Women in leadership positions continue to be underrepresented in Germany. This is what new figures from the Federal Statistical Office show: Although almost as many women are employed in this country as men, last year only 30.3 percent of management positions were held by women - i.e. less than a third. The value is therefore well below the European Union average of 35.9 percent.

Sweden was also the leader in the EU comparison in 2025 - with a proportion of female bosses of 44.4 percent. Latvia (43.8 percent) and Estonia (43.1 percent) also recorded comparatively high rates. There were fewer female managers in Italy (28.6 percent) and the Netherlands (30 percent) than in Germany. Cyprus came last with 25.9 percent.

In the long term, developments in Germany are pointing slightly upwards: in a ten-year comparison, the proportion of female managers increased by one percentage point, while on average in the EU it increased by four percentage points. According to the statisticians, the low proportion of female bosses in Germany is particularly noticeable, as women make up a high proportion of all employed people. This was 47.1 percent in 2025, slightly above the EU average of 46.5 percent.

In Austria, for example, the proportion of management positions held by women was significantly higher at 37.2 percent than in Germany - and this with a similar proportion of women in all employed people (47.5 percent).

The management positions of statisticians include the management of small companies, the management or department management of large companies as well as senior positions in administrative services.

A different picture emerges in politics: the proportion of women in the federal government is larger in Germany than in the management echelons. In the third quarter of 2026, according to data from the European Institute for Gender Equality, women made up 42.6 percent of government members in this country. This put Germany well above the EU average of 33.5 percent.

Finland has the largest proportion of women in government at 56.7 percent, closely followed by Denmark at 52.4 percent. The Czech Republic has the smallest proportion of women in government at 12.5 percent.