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Political representation

One way of considering how power is shared between groups and population is by looking at how well different groups are represented in parliament.

Representation of different communities in parliament is important to ensure that decisions are informed by a variety of perspectives, and that policies are reflective of the diverse needs of the population. Without proportionate representation, the needs of some communities may be overlooked or misinterpreted.

The Scottish Parliament releases figures which look at how representative its members are in terms of gender, ethnicity and disability.

MSPs by gender

Chart which shows the proportion of MSPs, and of the Scottish population, who are female.

Just under half of the MSPs in the Scottish Parliament are female. This is five percentage points lower than the proportion of women living in Scotland.

MSPs by ethnicity

Chart which shows the proportion of MSPs, and of the Scottish population, who are from a black or minority ethnic background.

Around 4.5% of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament are from a black or minority ethnic background. This is also an underrepresentation of Scottish society, where 7.1% of people are either black or of a minority ethnicity.

MSPs by disability

Chart which shows the proportion of MSPs, and of the Scottish population, who are disabled.

Of the three groups shown on this page, the largest gap is for disabled people. Nearly a quarter of Scottish people (24%) are disabled, but only 4.6% of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament have a disability.

Each of these disparities reflect the greater barriers that women, people from ethnic minority backgrounds and disabled people face in the workplace and in wider society.

The Equality and Human Right Commission has undertaken research looking into the barriers that different groups face in entering local government, which includes recommendations for political parties. Inclusion Scotland has ongoing work to reduce the specific barriers that disabled people face in running for elected office in Scotland. 

Notes

This page was updated in February 2025.