Information on the data used
The quantitative information on our collection makes it possible to compare the Houses of Parliament and their countries on the basis of some indicators. However, quantitative data can only shed light on certain segments of our world and always represent a simplification of social reality, which is more complex and contextual. They do not paint a complete picture of the country, the situation of its inhabitants, or its political culture.
The data reflect the status available in each case as of August 2023.
Location and political system
After naming the city where the parliament building is located, the political system of the country is given de jure, that is, according to the country's self-definition.
Population
This figure refers to the total population of a country (all ages and nationalities).
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022), World Population Prospects 2022 Online Edition, Creative Commons license CCBY 3.0IGO.
GDP per capita (PPP)
GDP (gross domestic product) comprises the total value of goods and services produced in a country during a year. It is expressed in "international dollars" taking into account purchasing power parity. GDP per capita is GDP divided by the average population for the same year.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook 2023 Database.
Exceptions: CIA Factbook estimates for Cuba (2016); North Korea (2015); Liechtenstein (2009); Monaco (2015); Syria (2015).
Land area (km²)
Land area is the total area of a country excluding the area of inland waters, national claims to the continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases, the definition of inland waters includes large rivers and lakes.
Source: Worldbank (last accessed 11.04.14).
https://databank.worldbank.org/source/world-development-indicators/Series/AG.LND.TOTL.K2
Exceptions: United Nations Statistics Division (UNSTATS) for Nauru and Palestine; CIA Factbook for South Sudan; Ministry of the Interior for Taiwan.
C02-equivalent emissions in million metric tons (per country) or metric tons (per capita)
These figures are taken from the European Union Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) and take into account all anthropogenic activities in the energy, industry, buildings, transport and agriculture sectors that result in climate-relevant emissions. Emissions per country are reported in million tons CO2eq, emissions per person in tons CO2eq.
Source: European Commission, 2022 (Joint Research Center (JRC)/ Publication Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research version 7.0, (last accessed 07/30/2023).
Exceptions: United States of Micronesia (2020), Marshall Islands (2020), Nauru (2020) and Tuvalu (2020):
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.GHGT.KT.CE,
accessed 7/30/2023; Switzerland: Bundesamt für Umwelt; Liechtenstein: Umweltstatistik 2020; Montenegro, Serbien, Sudan und Südsudan: statista 2021
(www.statista.com)
The emissions per capita in tons were calculated from the total emissions per country and the number of inhabitants.
Human Development Index (HDI)
The HDI ranking is published by the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). The HDI attempts to measure human development using the indicators of life expectancy, education and income. The data cited is from the 2021 report.
Source: https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/human-development-index#/indicies/HDI
Democracy Index
The Democracy Index is published by the Economist Intelligence Unit of the British weekly newspaper The Economist and provides data on democratic development in 167 countries. Democracy is measured in five different categories: Electoral Process and Pluralism, Civil Liberties, Functioning of Government, Political Participation, and Political Culture. The data cited are from the Democracy Index 2022.
Members of Parliament
Total members of parliament and number of women. In the case of a bicameral legislature, data refer to the number of members of the lower house.
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), PARLINE database on national parliaments, online 2023 Tables (last accessed 07/30/2023).
Year of Construction
This figure refers to the year the building was completed. (Ren.) stands for "renovation," meaning major changes to the structure of the building as opposed to mere restoration measures; (ext.) stands for "expansion"; (rec.) stands for "reconstruction"; (u.c.) refers to projects under construction in mid-2023.
Architect
This specification refers to the name of the architect(s), architectural firm, or sometimes construction company. The use of a comma between two names means that the project was planned and/or executed by different architects within one time frame; the use of a diagonal slash between two names means that the project was planned and/or executed by different architects in several construction phases with major time interruptions.
Type of Plenary Hall
Since the institutionalization of the parliament a number of different types of spatial organization for the assembly have developed. The British (Westminster) type emphasizes the agonistic division between ruling parties and opposition. The center of the assembly is occupied by the "Speaker of the House" who presides over the sessions. Speeches are not addressed directly towards the opponents, but to the speaker as the mediator of the debate. The semi-circle type as developed in the late 18th in the course of the French revolution focusses on the unity of the national assembly. The speaker takes the focal position and directly addresses all deputies, with consensus as the ultimate goal of the political debate. The horse-shoe type is a hybrid between the two former spatial arrangements. The circular type achieves the most uniform distribution of the deputies. For reasons of visibility and audibility of the speaker, this model is rare and mostly not realized in its pure form. It avoids the spatial division in left and right that has been used to name political ideologies. With a few exceptions – e.g. the Swedish and Norwegian parliaments, where seats are distributed according to regions – the deputies are arranged according to their right wing or left wing orientation. The classroom type represents a rational distribution avoiding a unique focal point. The speaker is no longer at the center of attention.