| Field Listing - Suffrage
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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 | 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
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 | 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 national 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
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 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 200,000 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
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 | 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 Majlis al-Shura elections in 2003, suffrage was universal for all Omanis over age 21 except for members of the military and security forces; the next Majlis al-Shura elections are scheduled for 2007
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 and national police 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 | adult male citizens age 21 or older note: voter registration began in November 2004 for partial municipal council elections scheduled nationwide for February through April 2005
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
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005