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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

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