Country Age Comments
Afghanistan 18
Albania 18
Algeria 18
American Samoa 18
Andorra 18
Angola 18
Angulia 18
Antigua and Barbuda 18
Argentina 16 16-18 and 70+ optional
Armenia 18
Aruba 18
Australia 18 Compulsory over 18, can register at 17
Austria 16 [1]
Azerbaijan 18
Bahamas 18
Bahrain 20 Bahraini Cabinet in May 2011 endorsed a draft law lowering eligibility to 18 years[2]

Alphabetical list of countries

edit

The following is an alphabetical list of voting ages in the various countries of the world.[3]

  • Bahamas: 18
  • Bahrain: 20 (Bahraini Cabinet in May 2011 endorsed a draft law lowering eligibility to 18 years)[4]
  • Bangladesh: 18
  • Barbados: 18
  • Belarus: 18
  • Belgium: 18 (compulsory)
  • Belize: 18
  • Benin: 18
  • Bermuda: 18
  • Bhutan: 18
  • Bolivia: 18, universal and compulsory
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina: 18, 16 if employed
  • Botswana: 18
  • Brazil: 18 to 70 compulsory, 16 to under 18 AND over 70 optional. Voting is also optional to all illiterate citizens older than 16.
  • British Virgin Islands: 18
  • Brunei: 18 (village elections only)
  • Bulgaria: 18
  • Burkina Faso: 18
  • Burundi: 18
  • Cambodia: 18
  • Cameroon: 21
  • Canada: 18
  • Cape Verde: 18
  • Cayman Islands: 18
  • Central African Republic: 18
  • Chad: 18
  • Chile: 18
  • China, People's Republic of: 18
  • Cocos (Keeling) Islands: 18
  • Colombia: 18
  • Comoros: 18
  • Congo, Democratic Republic of the: 18
  • Congo, Republic of the: 18
  • Cook Islands: 18
  • Costa Rica: 18
  • Côte d'Ivoire: 18
  • Croatia: 18
  • Cuba: 16
  • Curaçao: 18
  • Cyprus: 18
  • Czech Republic: 18
  • Denmark: 18
  • Djibouti: 18
  • Dominica: 18
  • Dominican Republic: 18, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age (members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote)
  • East Timor: 17
  • Ecuador: 16; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18–65, optional for other eligible voters
  • Egypt: 18
  • El Salvador: 18
  • Equatorial Guinea: 18
  • Eritrea: 18
  • Estonia: 18; universal for all Estonian citizens
  • Ethiopia: 17
  • European Union: 18
  • Falkland Islands: 18
  • Faroe Islands: 18
  • Fiji: 18, as of 2013 Constitution (previously 21)
  • Finland: 18
  • France: 18
  • French Guiana: 18
  • French Polynesia: 18
  • Gabon: 18
  • Gambia: 18
  • Georgia: 18
  • Germany: 18 (16 at state level in Bremen[5] and for municipal elections in the states of Bremen, Lower Saxony (2012, the Green Party brought a petition into the Landtag to lower the active voting age from 16 years to 14 years. However, a bill that would take the age lowering into effect has not yet been passed by the Landtag), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Baden-Württemberg[6] [6/16])[7]
  • Ghana: 18
  • Gibraltar: 18; universal, plus other British citizens who have been residents six months or more
  • Greece: 18
  • Greenland: 18
  • Grenada: 18
  • Guadeloupe: 18
  • Guam: 18; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections
  • Guatemala: 18; universal (active duty members of the armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day)
  • Guernsey: 16[8]
  • Guinea: 18
  • Guinea-Bissau: 18
  • Guyana: 18
  • Haiti: 18
  • Honduras: 18
  • 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 220,000 members of functional constituencies and an 1,200-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies
  • Hungary: 18
  • Iceland: 18
  • India: 18
  • Indonesia: 17; universal and married persons regardless of age. except for the military and police
  • Iran: 18 (changed from 15 Years to 18 Years in 2007, but that was changed back in 2009 and change again to 18 in 2011)[9][10][11][12]
  • Iraq: 18
  • Ireland: 18
  • Isle of Man: 16
  • Israel: 18 (17 for municipal elections)
  • Italy: 18 (25 for Senate elections)
  • Jamaica: 18 years
  • Japan: 20 years
  • Jersey: 16 years
  • Jordan: 18 years
  • Kazakhstan: 18
  • Kenya: 18
  • Kiribati: 18
  • Korea, North: 17; members of the military have the right to vote, regardless of age[13]
  • Korea, South: 19
  • Kosovo: 18
  • Kuwait: 21; females and males who are not in the military or police forces; all voters must have been citizens for 20 years; current proposal for reduction to 18[14]
  • Kyrgyzstan: 18
  • Laos: 18
  • Latvia: 18; universal for Latvian citizens
  • Lebanon: 21, tried to amend to 18 on 22 February 2010 but failed to pass.[15]
  • Lesotho: 18
  • Liberia: 18
  • Libya: 18
  • Liechtenstein: 18
  • Lithuania: 18
  • Luxembourg: 18
  • 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" (973 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies
  • Republic of Macedonia: 18
  • Madagascar: 18
  • Malawi: 18
  • Malaysia: 21
  • Maldives: 18
  • Mali: 18
  • Malta: 18, however a motion has been passed in parliament to lower the voting age for local council elections (starting from 2015) to 16
  • Marshall Islands: 18
  • Martinique: 18
  • Mauritania: 18
  • Mauritius: 18
  • Mayotte: 18
  • Mexico: 18
  • Micronesia, Federated States of: 18
  • Moldova: 18
  • Monaco: 18
  • Mongolia: 18
  • Montenegro: 18
  • Montserrat: 18
  • Morocco: 18
  • Mozambique: 18
  • Myanmar (Burma): 18
  • Namibia: 18
  • Nauru: 20
  • Nepal: 18
  • Netherlands: 18
  • New Caledonia: 18
  • New Zealand: 18
  • Nicaragua: 16
  • Niger: 18
  • Nigeria: 18
  • Niue: 18
  • Norfolk Island: 18
  • Northern Mariana Islands: 18; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
  • Norway: 18; however, persons 17 years of age are permitted to vote in parliamentary elections if they will be 18 years of age in the year the election is held.
  • Oman: 21, universal except for members of the military and police.
  • Pakistan: 18; universal; joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims
  • Palau: 18
  • Panama: 18
  • Papua New Guinea: 18
  • Paraguay: 18; universal and compulsory until the age of 75
  • Peru: 18; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; (members of the military and national police could not vote until a Constitutional Reform in 2005 [16])
  • Philippines: 18
    • For youth councils: 15 to 18; previously from 15 to 21. Incumbent are allowed to keep their positions if they surpassed the legal age.
  • Pitcairn Islands: 18; universal with three years' residency
  • Poland: 18
  • Portugal: 18
  • Puerto Rico: 18; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
  • Qatar: 18
  • Réunion: 18
  • Romania: 18
  • Russia: 18
  • Rwanda: 18
  • Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha: 18
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis: 18
  • Saint Lucia: 18
  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon: 18
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 18
  • Samoa: 21
  • San Marino: 18
  • São Tomé and Príncipe: 18
  • Saudi Arabia: adult male citizens age 21 or older (for partial municipal council elections and women to be allowed by 2015)
  • Senegal: 18
  • Serbia: 18[17]
  • Seychelles: 18[18]
  • Sierra Leone: 18
  • Singapore: 21
  • Sint Maarten: 18
  • Slovakia: 18
  • Slovenia: 18
  • Solomon Islands: 21
  • Somalia: 18
  • South Africa: 18
  • South Sudan: 17
  • Spain: 18
  • Sri Lanka: 18
  • Sudan: 17
  • Suriname: 18
  • Swaziland: 18
  • Sweden: 18
  • Switzerland: 18 (16 for cantonal and municipal elections in the canton of Glarus[19][20] [1/26])
  • Syria: 18
  • Taiwan (Republic of China): 20 (there is a current proposal to lower it to 18)[21]
  • Tajikistan: 18
  • Tanzania: 18
  • Thailand: 18 (compulsory only for Thai-Cititzens, who are Thai-Cititzens from Birth on)
  • Togo: 18
  • Tokelau: 21
  • Tonga: 21
  • Trinidad and Tobago: 18
  • Tunisia: 18 (with some exceptions)[22]
  • Turkey: 18
  • Turkmenistan: 18
  • Turks and Caicos Islands: 18
  • Tuvalu: 18
  • Uganda: 18
  • Ukraine: 18
  • United Arab Emirates: none[23] but at least 25 (the minimum age is decided by the ruler of each Emirate and may vary from one Emirate to another)[24]
  • United Kingdom: 18; The SNP proposes this to be reduced to 16 for the Scottish independence referendum[25]
  • United States: 18; however, in many states, persons 17 years of age are permitted to vote in primary elections if they will be 18 years of age on or before the day of the general election.
  • Uruguay: 18
  • Uzbekistan: 18[26]
  • Vanuatu: 18
  • Venezuela: 18
  • Vietnam: 18
  • Virgin Islands of the United States: 18; universal; island residents are U.S. citizens but do not vote in U.S. presidential elections
  • Wallis and Futuna: 18
  • Western Sahara: none; (residents of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara participate in Moroccan elections, Age 18) [23]
  • Yemen: 18
  • Zambia: 18
  • Zimbabwe: 18
  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference final Austria Bill was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^   Posted on » Monday, May 09, 2011 (2011-05-09). "Local News » Cabinet approves reducing voting age to 18". Gulf Daily News. Retrieved 2013-01-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ http://aceproject.org/epic-en/CDTable?question=VR001#g
  4. ^   Posted on » Monday, May 09, 2011 (2011-05-09). "Local News » Cabinet approves reducing voting age to 18". Gulf Daily News. Retrieved 2013-01-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Bremen führt als erstes Land Wahlrecht ab 16 ein, Reuters, 2009-10-29 (in German)
  6. ^ http://lpb-bw.de/waehlen-ab-16.html
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference 16 locals was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Reform (Guernsey) Law, 1948, s. 28(1); amended by Reform (Guernsey) (Amendment) Law, 2007 (adopted on 31 October 2007, sanctioned on 12 December and registered and coming into force on 19 December).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Iran increase was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Iran: Council of Ministers Approves Lowering Voting Age". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  11. ^ "Voting Age back to 18". Jame Jam Online.
  12. ^ "Voting Age". Khabar Online.
  13. ^ "NK constitute law". Unibook.unikorea.go.kr. 2010-10-08. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  14. ^ "NA panel lowers voting age to 18". kuwaittimes.net. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  15. ^ "Lebanon shoots down bill to lower voting age". Middle-east-online.com. 2010-02-22. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  16. ^ "Militares y policías podrán votar en las próximas elecciones". terra. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  17. ^ "Constitution of the Republic of Serbia". http://www.srbija.gov.rs. Retrieved 5 March 2007. {{cite news}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Inter-Parliamentary Union. "IPU PARLINE database: SEYCHELLES (National Assembly), Full text". Ipu.org. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Glarus 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Glarus 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ "Legislators mull lowering voting age". Taipei Times. 2013-01-08. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  22. ^ Inter-Parliamentary Union. "IPU PARLINE database: TUNISIA (Al-Majlis Al-watani Al-Taasisi ), Electoral system". Ipu.org. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  23. ^ a b "Suffrage". www.cia.gov. 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  24. ^ Inter-Parliamentary Union (2011-02-16). "IPU PARLINE database: UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (Majlis Watani Itihadi), Electoral system". Ipu.org. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference Macdonnell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ http://aceproject.org/epic-en/CDCountry?topic=VR&country=UZ