Field Listing - Suffrage

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 years of age; universal and compulsory
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
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 (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 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; note - military conscripts do not vote
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 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
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 national 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
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
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 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; 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; US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections
Guatemala 18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day
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 for a number of non-executive positions; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election - limited to about 220,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, central government bodies, and municipal organizations
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 16 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 NA years of age; universal (adult); note - males in the military or police are not allowed to vote; adult females were allowed to vote as of 16 May 2005; 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
Lesotho 18 years of age; universal
Liberia 18 years of age; universal
Libya 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Liechtenstein 18 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 for some non-executive positions, 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 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
Marshall Islands 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 18 years of age; universal
Mongolia 18 years of age; universal
Montenegro 18 years of age; universal
Montserrat 18 years of age; universal
Morocco 18 years of age; universal (as of January 2003)
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 21 years of age; universal; note - members of the military and security forces are not allowed to vote
Pakistan 18 years of age; universal; 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 up to age 75
Peru 18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; note - for the first time in recent elections, members of the military and national police were eligible to vote in the 2006 elections
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; 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 NA 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; 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
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 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 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 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; island residents 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
Zambia 18 years of age; universal
Zimbabwe 18 years of age; universal

This page was last updated on 4 September 2008
 

Source : The World Factbook