Voting Ages Around the World

“Let’s take a vote.” It’s a concept that permeates many areas of life: where to go to dinner, when to have a meeting, and, of course, whom to elect. The history of elections dates back to the 5th century bce in Athens, though as the concept of elections spread, the procedures often varied by country. Many modern systems of voting have evolved from the representative government models that emerged in the 17th century ce in European and North American communities.

Every election must have its electorate, or the people who are eligible to vote. The requirements needed to cast a ballot differ widely across the globe. These can depend upon citizenship, length of residency, and parental citizenship, among other criteria. No matter where one votes, age is always critical for determining eligibility. For a long time, 21 was considered the standard minimum age required to vote. But just after World War II, Czechoslovakia became the first country to lower the age limit to 18. Many other countries soon followed suit. The United States enacted the same standard in 1971. The impetus was the “old enough to fight, old enough to vote” campaign during the Vietnam War, which was based on the belief that if people are old enough to be in the military, they should be allowed to have a say in the government that commands that military. Since then, global voting ages have diverged even further, with some countries lowering the voting age, sparking debates about how young is too young to vote.

Use the interactive map below to learn about voting ages all over the world.

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Table of voting ages worldwide

*Table also includes selected territories, dependencies, and other areas.