|
Suffrage (Country profile category: Government) |
Afghanistan:
NA; previously males 15-50 years of age
Albania:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Algeria:
18 years of age; universal
American Samoa:
18 years of age; universal
Andorra:
18 years of age; universal
Angola:
18 years of age; universal
Anguilla:
18 years of age; universal
Antigua and Barbuda:
18 years of age; universal
Argentina:
18 years of age; universal
Armenia:
18 years of age; universal
Aruba:
18 years of age; universal
Australia:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Austria:
19 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential elections
Azerbaijan:
18 years of age; universal
Bahamas, The:
18 years of age; universal
Bahrain:
none
Bangladesh:
18 years of age; universal
Barbados:
18 years of age; universal
Belarus:
18 years of age; universal
Belgium:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Belize:
18 years of age; universal
Benin:
18 years of age; universal
Bermuda:
18 years of age; universal
Bhutan:
each family has one vote in village-level elections
Bolivia:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
Bosnia and Herzegovina:
16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal
Botswana:
18 years of age; universal
Brazil:
voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age
British Virgin Islands:
18 years of age; universal
Brunei:
none
Bulgaria:
18 years of age; universal
Burkina Faso:
universal
Burma:
18 years of age; universal
Burundi:
NA years of age; universal adult
Cambodia:
18 years of age; universal
Cameroon:
21 years of age; universal
Canada:
18 years of age; universal
Cape Verde:
18 years of age; universal
Cayman Islands:
18 years of age; universal
Central African Republic:
21 years of age; universal
Chad:
18 years of age; universal
Chile:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
China:
18 years of age; universal
Cocos (Keeling) Islands:
NA
Colombia:
18 years of age; universal
Comoros:
18 years of age; universal
Congo, Democratic Republic of the:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Congo, Republic of the:
18 years of age; universal
Cook Islands:
NA years of age; universal adult
Costa Rica:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Cote d'Ivoire:
21 years of age; universal
Croatia:
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Cuba:
16 years of age; universal
Cyprus:
18 years of age; universal
Czech Republic:
18 years of age; universal
Denmark:
18 years of age; universal
Djibouti:
NA years of age; universal adult
Dominica:
18 years of age; universal
Dominican Republic:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age
note:
members of the armed forces and police cannot vote
Ecuador:
18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters
Egypt:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
El Salvador:
18 years of age; universal
Equatorial Guinea:
18 years of age; universal adult
Eritrea:
18 years of age; universal
Estonia:
18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
Ethiopia:
18 years of age; universal
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas):
18 years of age; universal
Faroe Islands:
18 years of age; universal
Fiji:
21 years of age; universal
Finland:
18 years of age; universal
France:
18 years of age; universal
French Guiana:
18 years of age; universal
French Polynesia:
18 years of age; universal
Gabon:
21 years of age; universal
Gambia, The:
18 years of age; universal
Georgia:
18 years of age; universal
Germany:
18 years of age; universal
Ghana:
18 years of age; universal
Gibraltar:
18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects who have been residents six months or more
Greece:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Greenland:
18 years of age; universal
Grenada:
18 years of age; universal
Guadeloupe:
18 years of age; universal
Guam:
18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections
Guatemala:
18 years of age; universal (active duty members of the armed forces may not vote)
Guernsey:
18 years of age; universal
Guinea:
18 years of age; universal
Guinea-Bissau:
18 years of age; universal
Guyana:
18 years of age; universal
Haiti:
18 years of age; universal
Holy See (Vatican City):
limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Honduras:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Hong Kong:
direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election limited to about 100,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies
Hungary:
18 years of age; universal
Iceland:
18 years of age; universal
India:
18 years of age; universal
Indonesia:
17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age
Iran:
15 years of age; universal
Iraq:
18 years of age; universal
Ireland:
18 years of age; universal
Israel:
18 years of age; universal
Italy:
18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)
Jamaica:
18 years of age; universal
Japan:
20 years of age; universal
Jersey:
NA years of age; universal adult
Jordan:
20 years of age; universal
Kazakhstan:
18 years of age; universal
Kenya:
18 years of age; universal
Kiribati:
18 years of age; universal
Korea, North:
17 years of age; universal
Korea, South:
20 years of age; universal
Kuwait:
adult males who have been naturalized for 30 years or more or have resided in Kuwait since before 1920 and their male descendants at age 21
note:
only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote; in 1996, naturalized citizens who do not meet the pre-1920 qualification but have been naturalized for 30 years were eligible to vote for the first time
Kyrgyzstan:
18 years of age; universal
Laos:
18 years of age; universal
Latvia:
18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens
Lebanon:
21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
Lesotho:
18 years of age; universal
Liberia:
18 years of age; universal
Libya:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Liechtenstein:
20 years of age; universal
Lithuania:
18 years of age; universal
Luxembourg:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Macau:
direct election 18 years of age, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirect election limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" (257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of:
18 years of age; universal
Madagascar:
18 years of age; universal
Malawi:
18 years of age; universal
Malaysia:
21 years of age; universal
Maldives:
21 years of age; universal
Mali:
21 years of age; universal
Malta:
18 years of age; universal
Man, Isle of:
18 years of age; universal
Marshall Islands:
18 years of age; universal
Martinique:
18 years of age; universal
Mauritania:
18 years of age; universal
Mauritius:
18 years of age; universal
Mayotte:
18 years of age; universal
Mexico:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Micronesia, Federated States of:
18 years of age; universal
Moldova:
18 years of age; universal
Monaco:
21 years of age; universal
Mongolia:
18 years of age; universal
Montserrat:
18 years of age; universal
Morocco:
21 years of age; universal
Mozambique:
18 years of age; universal
Namibia:
18 years of age; universal
Nauru:
20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Nepal:
18 years of age; universal
Netherlands:
18 years of age; universal
Netherlands Antilles:
18 years of age; universal
New Caledonia:
18 years of age; universal
New Zealand:
18 years of age; universal
Nicaragua:
16 years of age; universal
Niger:
18 years of age; universal
Nigeria:
18 years of age; universal
Niue:
18 years of age; universal
Norfolk Island:
18 years of age; universal
Northern Mariana Islands:
18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Norway:
18 years of age; universal
Oman:
in Oman's most recent elections in 1997, limited to approximately 50,000 Omanis chosen by the government to vote in elections for the Majlis ash-Shura
Pakistan:
21 years of age; universal; separate electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for non-Muslims
Palau:
18 years of age; universal
Panama:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Papua New Guinea:
18 years of age; universal
Paraguay:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75
Peru:
18 years of age; universal
Philippines:
18 years of age; universal
Pitcairn Islands:
18 years of age; universal with three years residency
Poland:
18 years of age; universal
Portugal:
18 years of age; universal
Puerto Rico:
18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Qatar:
suffrage is limited to municipal elections
Reunion:
18 years of age; universal
Romania:
18 years of age; universal
Russia:
18 years of age; universal
Rwanda:
18 years of age; universal adult
Saint Helena:
NA years of age
Saint Kitts and Nevis:
18 years of age; universal
Saint Lucia:
18 years of age; universal
Saint Pierre and Miquelon:
18 years of age; universal
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:
18 years of age; universal
Samoa:
21 years of age; universal
San Marino:
18 years of age; universal
Sao Tome and Principe:
18 years of age; universal
Saudi Arabia:
none
Senegal:
18 years of age; universal
Serbia and Montenegro:
16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal
Seychelles:
17 years of age; universal
Sierra Leone:
18 years of age; universal
Singapore:
21 years of age; universal and compulsory
Slovakia:
18 years of age; universal
Slovenia:
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Solomon Islands:
21 years of age; universal
Somalia:
18 years of age; universal
South Africa:
18 years of age; universal
Spain:
18 years of age; universal
Sri Lanka:
18 years of age; universal
Sudan:
NA years of age; universal, but noncompulsory
Suriname:
18 years of age; universal
Swaziland:
NA years of age
Sweden:
18 years of age; universal
Switzerland:
18 years of age; universal
Syria:
18 years of age; universal
Tajikistan:
18 years of age; universal
Tanzania:
18 years of age; universal
Thailand:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Togo:
NA years of age; universal adult
Tokelau:
21 years of age; universal
Tonga:
21 years of age; universal
Trinidad and Tobago:
18 years of age; universal
Tunisia:
20 years of age; universal
Turkey:
18 years of age; universal
Turkmenistan:
18 years of age; universal
Turks and Caicos Islands:
18 years of age; universal
Tuvalu:
18 years of age; universal
Uganda:
18 years of age; universal
Ukraine:
18 years of age; universal
United Arab Emirates:
none
United Kingdom:
18 years of age; universal
United States:
18 years of age; universal
Uruguay:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Uzbekistan:
18 years of age; universal
Vanuatu:
18 years of age; universal
Venezuela:
18 years of age; universal
Vietnam:
18 years of age; universal
Virgin Islands:
18 years of age; universal; note - indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Wallis and Futuna:
18 years of age; universal
Western Sahara:
none; a UN sponsored voter identification campaign has yet to be completed
Yemen:
18 years of age; universal
Zambia:
18 years of age; universal
Zimbabwe:
18 years of age; universal
Taiwan:
20 years of age; universal