Business · Facts & sources
4 sourced facts about corporate boards of directors, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
Answer2%
By August 2015, only about 2% of S&P 500 companies still had all-male boards, down from 12% just a decade earlier in 2005.
Source: Wikipedia, Gender diversity on corporate boards (2015) en.wikipedia.org
Answer62.9 years
NYSE-listed companies had an average board director age of about 62.9 years in 2025, the highest among major exchanges compared.
Source: Wikipedia, Board of directors (2025) en.wikipedia.org
AnswerNorway, 35.5%
Norway's OBX index led the world in 2018 with women holding about 35.5% of board seats, helped by a legislated quota.
Source: Wikipedia, Gender diversity on corporate boards (2018) en.wikipedia.org
Answer+20 percentage points in nonexecutive seats
A study of nine European countries with board quotas (2005-2021) found the female share of nonexecutive directors rose about 20 percentage points within 6 years, though senior-executive roles barely changed.
Source: 2025 academic study, via Wikipedia (2025) en.wikipedia.org