World Fact Book 2004 - Suffrages
|
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 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 | 18 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 | each family has one vote in village-level elections; note - in late 2003 Bhutan's legislature passed a new election law, though no elections have been held |
| 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 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; 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 | formerly 18 years of age; universal; note - in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition |
| 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 | 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 | 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 | 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, 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 | 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 | 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 al-Shura |
| 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 - members of the military may not vote |
| 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 |
| 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
note: in October 2003, Council of Ministers announced its intent to introduce elections for half of the members of local and provincial assemblies and a third of the members of the national Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura, incrementally over a period of four to five years |
| 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 | 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 - 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 |
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Countries of the World / World Fact Book 2004 - Suffrages
Since 2004, July 10
Last update : 2004, July 10
Source : CIA's World Fact Book 2004.