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The World Factbook 2002
  Field Listing - Suffrage


This entry gives the age at enfranchisement and whether the right to vote is universal or restricted.
Country
Suffrage
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 and mandatory
Armenia 18 years of age; universal
Aruba 18 years of age; universal
Australia 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Austria 18 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 20 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 18 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 18 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
East Timor 17 years of age; universal
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 18 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 2000, limited to approximately 175,000 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
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 17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory
Suriname 18 years of age; universal
Swaziland 18 years of age
Sweden 18 years of age; universal
Switzerland 18 years of age; universal
Syria 18 years of age; universal
Taiwan 20 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 not yet completed
Yemen 18 years of age; universal
Yugoslavia 16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal
Zambia 18 years of age; universal
Zimbabwe 18 years of age; universal

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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