Field Listing :: Suffrage
This entry gives the age at enfranchisement and whether the right to vote is universal or restricted.
Country
Suffrage
Afghanistan 18 years of age; universal
Albania 18 years of age; universal
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 18-70 years of age; universal and compulsory; 16-17 years of age - optional
Armenia 18 years of age; universal
Aruba 18 years of age; universal
Australia 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Austria 16 years of age; universal; note - reduced from 18 years of age in 2007
Azerbaijan 18 years of age; universal
Bahamas, The 18 years of age; universal
Bahrain 20 years of age; universal; note - Bahraini Cabinet in May 2011 endorsed a draft law lowering eligibility to 18 years
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 18 years of age; universal
Bolivia 18 years of age, universal and compulsory
Bosnia and Herzegovina 18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal
Botswana 18 years of age; universal
Brazil voluntary between 16 to under 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory 18 to 70 years of age; note - military conscripts do not vote by law
British Virgin Islands 18 years of age; universal
Brunei 18 years of age for village elections; universal
Bulgaria 18 years of age; universal
Burkina Faso 18 years of age; universal
Burma 18 years of age; universal
Burundi 18 years of age; universal
Cabo Verde 18 years of age; universal
Cambodia 18 years of age; universal
Cameroon 20 years of age; universal
Canada 18 years of age; universal
Cayman Islands 18 years of age; universal
Central African Republic 18 years of age; universal
Chad 18 years of age; universal
Chile 18 years of age; universal and voluntary
China 18 years of age; universal
Christmas Island 18 years of age
Cocos (Keeling) Islands 18 years of age
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 18 years of age; universal
Costa Rica 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Cote d'Ivoire 18 years of age; universal
Croatia 18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal
Cuba 16 years of age; universal
Curacao 18 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
Dominica 18 years of age; universal
Dominican Republic 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age can vote; note - members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote by law
Ecuador 18-65 years of age, universal and compulsory; 16-18, over 65, and other eligible voters, optional
Egypt 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
El Salvador 18 years of age; universal
Equatorial Guinea 18 years of age; universal
Eritrea 18 years of age; universal
Estonia 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
Ethiopia 18 years of age; universal
European Union 18 years of age; universal; voting for the European Parliament is permitted in each member state
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 Polynesia 18 years of age; universal
Gabon 18 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; and British citizens 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
Guam 18 years of age; universal; note - Guamanians are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Guatemala 18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces and police may not vote by law and are restricted to their barracks on election day
Guernsey 16 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) election of the pope is limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Honduras 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Hong Kong 18 years of age in direct elections for half the legislature and a majority of seats in 18 district councils; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; note - in indirect elections, suffrage is limited to about 220,000 members of functional constituencies for the other half of the legislature and an 1,200-member election committee for the chief executive drawn from broad sectoral groupings, central government bodies, municipal organizations, and elected Hong Kong officials
Hungary 18 years of age, 16 if married; 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 18 years of age; universal
Iraq 18 years of age; universal
Ireland 18 years of age; universal
Isle of Man 16 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 16 years of age; universal
Jordan 18 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 19 years of age; universal
Kosovo 18 years of age; universal
Kuwait 21 years of age; universal; note - males in the military or police are by law not allowed to vote; all voters must have been citizens for 20 years
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; excludes military personnel
Lesotho 18 years of age; universal
Liberia 18 years of age; universal
Libya 18 years of age, universal
Liechtenstein 18 years of age; universal
Lithuania 18 years of age; universal
Luxembourg 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Macau 18 years of age in direct elections for some legislative positions, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years; note - indirect elections are limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" (973 were registered in the 2009 legislative elections) and a 300-member Election Committee for the Chief Executive (CE) drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, central government bodies, and elected Macau officials
Macedonia 18 years of age; universal
Madagascar 18 years of age; universal
Malawi 18 years of age; universal
Malaysia 21 years of age; universal
Maldives 18 years of age; universal
Mali 18 years of age; universal
Malta 18 years of age; universal
Marshall Islands 18 years of age; universal
Mauritania 18 years of age; universal
Mauritius 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 18 years of age; universal
Mongolia 18 years of age; universal
Montenegro 18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal
Montserrat 18 years of age; universal
Morocco 18 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
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; note - indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Norway 18 years of age; universal
Oman 21 years of age; universal; note - members of the military and security forces by law are not allowed to vote
Pakistan 18 years of age; universal; note - there are joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and 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 until the age of 75
Peru 18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70
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; note - island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Qatar 18 years of age; universal
Romania 18 years of age; universal
Russia 18 years of age; universal
Rwanda 18 years of age; universal
Saint Barthelemy 18 years of age, universal
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha 18 years of age
Saint Kitts and Nevis 18 years of age; universal
Saint Lucia 18 years of age; universal
Saint Martin 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 21 years of age; male
Senegal 18 years of age; universal
Serbia 18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal
Seychelles 18 years of age; universal
Sierra Leone 18 years of age; universal
Singapore 21 years of age; universal and compulsory
Sint Maarten 18 years of age; universal
Slovakia 18 years of age; universal
Slovenia 18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal
Solomon Islands 21 years of age; universal
Somalia 18 years of age; universal
South Africa 18 years of age; universal
South Sudan 18 years of age; universal
Spain 18 years of age; universal
Sri Lanka 18 years of age; universal
Sudan 17 years of age; universal
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
Timor-Leste 17 years of age; universal
Togo 18 years of age; universal
Tokelau 21 years of age; universal
Tonga 21 years of age; universal
Trinidad and Tobago 18 years of age; universal
Tunisia 18 years of age; universal except for active government security forces (including the police and the military), people with mental disabilities, people who have served more than three months in prison (criminal cases only), and people given a suspended sentence of more than six months
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 limited; note - rulers of the seven Emirates each select a proportion of voters for the Federal National Council (FNC) that together account for about 12 percent of the native Emirati population
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 - island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Wallis and Futuna 18 years of age; universal
Western Sahara none; (residents of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara participate in Moroccan elections)
Yemen 18 years of age; universal
Zambia 18 years of age; universal
Zimbabwe 18 years of age; universal