In absolute numbers, is the US Congress one of the most diverse legislatures among Western democracies?
Monday, July 20, 2020
By Claire Zimmerman
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
YES
In absolute numbers, the current U.S. Congress, with 22% of members from non-white backgrounds, has a higher proportion of non-white members than in other large Western democracies such as Canada (15%), the U.K. (10%), Germany (8%), or France (6%).
The number in the U.S. has grown steadily over the last five elections. In relative terms, however, representation in Congress does not correspond to the ethnic mix of the country's population, estimated in 2019 to be 39% non-white. Pew Research notes that the number of Blacks in Congress, 12%, is in line with their share of the population, while Hispanics and Asians are underrepresented.
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