Which country has the highest Suffrage Granted?

Saudi Arabia has the highest Suffrage Granted, at 2015, followed by United Arab Emirates (2006) and Kuwait (2005).

Which country has the lowest Suffrage Granted?

New Zealand has the lowest Suffrage Granted, at 1893.

What is the median Suffrage Granted across countries?

The median is 1950 across the 167 countries with data.

Where does this countries where women cannot vote data come from?

Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: The Fight for Women’s Voting Rights - Central Asia Institute; Women's Suffrage - Infoplease; Women in Albania - Wiki; First free vote for Bahraini women - Guardian News & Media.

Country rankings

Countries Where Women Cannot Vote

Name: Countries Where Women Cannot Vote
Creator: Rankodex

Saudi Arabia has the highest Suffrage Granted (2015), followed by United Arab Emirates (2006) and Kuwait (2005). New Zealand has the lowest (1893).

Law170 countries · 3 metricsUpdated Nov 3, 2023Original page

9 sources

ShowingSuffrage GrantedBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →

167 of 235 countries

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Suffrage Granted

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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Ranking

Highest first: the first 15 and last 5 of 167 countries.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median

1950

Middle half 1944 – 1962

Average

1950

167 countries

Highest

2015

Saudi Arabia

Lowest

1893

New Zealand

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

170 countries · # = rank by Suffrage Granted

#
1	Saudi Arabia	Yes	2015	In December 2015, women were first allowed to vote and run for office. However, there are no national elections in Saudi Arabia. The country is an absolute monarchy.
2	United Arab Emirates	Yes	2006	Elections in the United Arab Emirates occur on a national level. However, their democratic usefulness is disputed.
3	Kuwait	Yes	2005	All voters must have been citizens of Kuwait for at least 20 years.
4	Bahrain	Yes	2002	—
5	Qatar	Yes	1997	While required by the constitution, general elections had been repeatedly delayed. Municipal elections have been held often.
6	South Africa	Yes	1994	Granted in 1930 to European and Asian women, women of other races were enfranchised in 1994, at the same time as men of all races.
6	Oman	Yes	1994	—
8	Kazakhstan	Yes	1993	—
8	Moldova	Yes	1993	—
10	Namibia	Yes	1989	At independence from South Africa.
11	Central African Republic	Yes	1986	—
12	Micronesia	Yes	1979	—
12	Marshall Islands	Yes	1979	—
12	Palau	Yes	1979	—
15	Zimbabwe	Yes	1978	1919 suffrage was granted for whites only.
16	Portugal	Yes	1976	With restrictions in 1911, later made illegal again until 1931 when it was reinstated with restrictions, restrictions other than age requirements lifted in 1976
17	Mozambique	Yes	1975	—
17	Cape Verde	Yes	1975	—
17	Vanuatu	Yes	1975	—
20	Jordan	Yes	1974	—
20	Solomon Islands	Yes	1974	—
22	Bangladesh	Yes	1972	—
22	Palestine	Yes	1972	Women (and men) first voted in local elections in the West Bank in 1972. Women (and men) first elected a Palestinian parliament in 1996. However, the last general election was in 2006; there was supposed to be another in 2014 but elections have been delayed indefinitely.
24	Switzerland	Yes	1971	Women obtained the right to vote in national elections in 1971. Women obtained the right to vote at local canton level between 1959 (Vaud and Neuchâtel in that year) and 1972, except for 1989 in Appenzell Ausserrhoden and 1990 in Appenzell Innerrhoden.
25	Andorra	Yes	1970	—
26	Eswatini	Yes	1968	—
27	DR Congo	Yes	1967	—
27	Yemen	Yes	1967	—
27	Kiribati	Yes	1967	—
30	Guatemala	Yes	1965	Women could vote from 1945, but only if literate. Restrictions on women's suffrage were lifted in 1965.
30	Botswana	Yes	1965	—
30	Lesotho	Yes	1965	—
33	Sudan	Yes	1964	—
33	Afghanistan	No	1964	King Amanullah Khan's decree in 1919 and the Constitution of 1923 seemed to support universal suffrage. A planned reform in 1928 proposed a lower house elected by a universal electorate. However, there were no elections in Afghanistan before Khan's deposal in 1929 after which …
33	Papua New Guinea	Yes	1964	—
36	Iran	Yes	1963	—
36	Kenya	Yes	1963	—
36	Morocco	Yes	1963	—
36	Libya	Yes	1963	From 1951 women could vote on local elections.
36	Republic of the Congo	Yes	1963	—
36	Fiji	Yes	1963	—
42	Uganda	Yes	1962	—
42	Algeria	Yes	1962	—
42	Zambia	Yes	1962	—
45	Malawi	Yes	1961	—
45	Sierra Leone	Yes	1961	—
45	Paraguay	Yes	1961	—
45	Mauritania	Yes	1961	—
49	Gambia	Yes	1960	—
49	Cyprus	Yes	1960	—
51	Tanzania	Yes	1959	—
51	Madagascar	Yes	1959	—
51	San Marino	Yes	1959	—
54	Nigeria	Yes	1958	—
54	Burkina Faso	Yes	1958	—
54	Chad	Yes	1958	—
54	Guinea	Yes	1958	—
54	Laos	Yes	1958	—
59	Tunisia	Yes	1957	—
60	Egypt	Yes	1956	—
60	Mali	Yes	1956	—
60	Gabon	Yes	1956	—
60	Mauritius	Yes	1956	—
64	Ethiopia	Yes	1955	—
64	Malaysia	Yes	1955	—
64	Peru	Yes	1955	—
64	Cambodia	Yes	1955	—
64	Honduras	Yes	1955	—
64	Nicaragua	Yes	1955	—
70	Colombia	Yes	1954	—
70	Ghana	Yes	1954	—
70	Belize	Yes	1954	—
73	Guyana	Yes	1953	—
73	Bhutan	Yes	1953	—
75	Ivory Coast	Yes	1952	—
75	Bolivia	Yes	1952	Limited women's suffrage in 1938 (only for literate women and those with a certain level of income). On equal terms with men since 1952.
75	Greece	Yes	1952	1930 - Local Elections, Literate Only; 1952 Unconditional
75	Lebanon	Yes	1952	In 1957, a requirement for women (but not men) to have elementary education before voting was dropped, as was voting being compulsory for men.
79	Nepal	Yes	1951	—
79	Barbados	Yes	1951	—
79	Dominica	Yes	1951	—
79	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Yes	1951	—
83	Haiti	Yes	1950	—
83	El Salvador	Yes	1950	Women obtained in 1939 suffrage with restrictions requiring literacy and a higher age. All restrictions were lifted in 1950 allowing women to vote, but women obtained the right to stand for elections only in 1961.
85	China	Yes	1949	—
85	Syria	Yes	1949	—
85	Chile	Yes	1949	From 1934 to 1949, women could vote in local elections at 25, while men could vote in all elections at 21. In both cases, literacy was required.
85	Netherlands	Yes	1949	—
85	Hong Kong	Yes	1949	—
85	Costa Rica	Yes	1949	—
91	South Korea	Yes	1948	—
91	Niger	Yes	1948	—
91	Israel	Yes	1948	Women's suffrage was granted with the declaration of independence. But prior to that in the Jewish settlement in Palestine, suffrage was granted in 1920.
91	Suriname	Yes	1948	—
91	Seychelles	Yes	1948	—
96	India	Yes	1947	In 1947, on its independence from the United Kingdom, India granted equal voting rights to all men and women.
96	Pakistan	Yes	1947	—
96	Mexico	Yes	1947	—
96	Japan	Yes	1947	—
96	Iraq	Yes	1947	—
96	Argentina	Yes	1947	—
96	Taiwan	Yes	1947	—
96	Singapore	Yes	1947	—
96	Malta	Yes	1947	—
105	Vietnam	Yes	1946	—
105	Cameroon	Yes	1946	—
105	Venezuela	Yes	1946	Though there are disputes as to the legitimacy of elections in Venezuela, they are ongoing at a national level.
105	North Korea	Yes	1946	—
105	Romania	Yes	1946	Starting in 1929, women who met certain qualifications were allowed to vote in local elections. After the Constitution from 1938, the voting rights were extended to women for general elections by the Electoral Law 1939. Women could vote on equal terms with men, but both men an…
105	Liberia	Yes	1946	—
105	Panama	Yes	1946	Limited women's suffrage from 1941 (conditioned by level of education) equal women's suffrage from 1946.
112	Indonesia	Yes	1945	1937 (for Europeans only) 1945 (for all citizens, granted upon independence).
112	Italy	Yes	1945	Local elections in 1925. Full suffrage in 1945.
112	Senegal	Yes	1945	—
112	Togo	Yes	1945	—
112	Hungary	Yes	1945	After 1919 men could vote from the age of 24 while women only gained the right to vote from the age of 30. There were also educational and economical criteria set for both genders, but all criteria were higher for women. After 1945 both men and women gained universal suffrage …
112	Serbia	Yes	1945	—
112	Croatia	Yes	1945	—
112	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Yes	1945	—
112	Albania	Yes	1945	Limited women's suffrage was granted in 1920, and women obtained full voting rights in 1945
112	Slovenia	Yes	1945	—
112	North Macedonia	Yes	1945	—
112	Trinidad and Tobago	Yes	1945	Suffrage was granted for the first time in 1925 to either sex, to men over the age of 21 and women over the age of 30, as in the United Kingdom (the "Mother Country", since Trinidad and Tobago was still a colony at the time). In 1945, full suffrage was granted to women.
112	Montenegro	Yes	1945	—
125	France	Yes	1944	The law was enacted in 1944, but the first elections were in 1945.
125	Bulgaria	Yes	1944	Married women (and by default widowed women) gained the right to vote on January 18, 1937, in local elections, but could not run for office. Single women were excluded from voting. Full voting rights were bestowed by the communist regime in September 1944 and reaffirmed by an …
125	Jamaica	Yes	1944	—
128	Dominican Republic	Yes	1942	—
129	Philippines	Yes	1937	Filipino women voted in a 1937 plebiscite for their right to vote; women first voted in local elections later that year.
130	Turkey	Yes	1934	1930 (for local elections), 1934 (for national elections).
130	Cuba	Yes	1934	—
132	Brazil	Yes	1932	—
132	Thailand	Yes	1932	—
132	Maldives	Yes	1932	—
135	Spain	Yes	1931	Women briefly held the right to vote from 1924 to 1926, but an absence of elections mean they never had the opportunity to go to the polls until 1933, after earning the right to vote in the 1931 Constitution passed after the elections. The government fell after only two electi…
135	Sri Lanka	Yes	1931	—
137	Ecuador	Yes	1929	Despite that Ecuador granted women suffrage in 1929 differences between men's and women's suffrage in Ecuador were only removed in 1967 (before 1967 women's vote was optional, while that of men was compulsory; since 1967 it is compulsory for both sexes).
138	United Kingdom	Yes	1928	From 1918 to 1928, women could vote at 30 with property qualifications or as graduates of UK universities, while men could vote at 21 with no qualification. From 1928 women had equal suffrage with men.
139	Uruguay	Yes	1927	Fully equal civil rights and universal suffrage was granted by Constitution of 1917, though this suffrage was first exercised in 1927, in the plebiscite of Cerro Chato.
140	Tajikistan	Yes	1924	—
140	Mongolia	Yes	1924	—
142	Myanmar	Yes	1922	—
142	Ireland	Yes	1922	From 1918, with the rest of the United Kingdom, women could vote at 30 with property qualifications or in university constituencies, while men could vote at 21 with no qualification. From separation in 1922, the Irish Free State gave equal voting rights to men and women.
144	Sweden	Yes	1921	—
145	United States	Yes	1920	The United States finally began allowing women to vote in 1920, after the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.
145	Czechia	Yes	1920	The Czechoslovak Constitution adopted on 29 February 1920 guaranteed the universal vote for every citizen including women to every electable body.
145	Slovakia	Yes	1920	—
148	Belgium	Yes	1919	Women obtained the right to vote first with restrictions in 1919, and on equal terms with men in 1948. Women obtained the right to stand for elections in 1921.
148	Azerbaijan	Yes	1919	—
148	Belarus	Yes	1919	—
148	Luxembourg	Yes	1919	—
152	Russia	Yes	1918	—
152	Germany	Yes	1918	—
152	Poland	Yes	1918	—
152	Austria	Yes	1918	—
152	Georgia	Yes	1918	—
152	Lithuania	Yes	1918	—
158	Canada	Yes	1917	Canadian women, with the exception of Canadian Indian women, won the vote in 1917. Canadian Indians, male and female, did not win the vote until 1960.
158	Ukraine	Yes	1917	—
158	Latvia	Yes	1917	—
158	Estonia	Yes	1917	—
162	Denmark	Yes	1915	1908 at local elections, 1915 at national parliamentary elections.
162	Iceland	Yes	1915	1908 at local elections, 1915 at national parliamentary elections.
164	Norway	Yes	1913	—
165	Finland	Yes	1906	—
166	Australia	Yes	1902	Australian women, with the exception of aboriginal women, won the right to vote in 1902. Aboriginal/Indigenous Australians, male and female, did not have the right to vote until 1962.
167	New Zealand	Yes	1893	—
—	Eritrea	No	—	There have not been elections in Eritrea since its independence in 1993.
—	Armenia	Yes	—	—
—	Vatican City	No	—	No voting, and almost no women. Women cannot vote in Papal Conclaves.

What correlates with Suffrage Granted?

Pearson r against 1,447 other country metrics sharing at least 101 countries, 1 near-identical series hidden. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Suffrage Granted tend to score higher on these

Teetotalers FemaleTeetotalism by Country
r = +0.55 · strong · n = 158
Plot
Diabetes Deaths as % of All Deaths Up to Age 60Diabetes Rates by Country
r = +0.55 · strong · n = 156
Plot
TeetotalersTeetotalism by Country
r = +0.53 · strong · n = 158
Plot
Average Temperature (°C)Hottest Countries in the World
r = +0.53 · strong · n = 165
Plot
Average Annual Temp. 1961-1990 (°C)Hottest Countries in the World
r = +0.53 · strong · n = 163
Plot
Average Annual Temp. 1961-1990 (°F)Hottest Countries in the World
r = +0.53 · strong · n = 163
Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Suffrage Granted tend to score lower on these

Male Cancer Rate ASRCancer Rates by Country
r = −0.60 · strong · n = 155
Plot
Crude Cancer Rate - AllCancer Rates by Country
r = −0.59 · strong · n = 155
Plot
Crude Cancer Rate - FemaleCancer Rates by Country
r = −0.59 · strong · n = 155
Plot
Cancer Rate Total - ASRCancer Rates by Country
r = −0.59 · strong · n = 155
Plot
Crude Cancer Rate - MaleCancer Rates by Country
r = −0.59 · strong · n = 155
Plot
Melanoma Death Rate - MaleMale Skin Cancer Rates by Country
r = −0.57 · strong · n = 166
Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Suffrage Granted?: Saudi Arabia has the highest Suffrage Granted, at 2015, followed by United Arab Emirates (2006) and Kuwait (2005).
Which country has the lowest Suffrage Granted?: New Zealand has the lowest Suffrage Granted, at 1893.
What is the median Suffrage Granted across countries?: The median is 1950 across the 167 countries with data.
Where does this countries where women cannot vote data come from?: Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: The Fight for Women’s Voting Rights - Central Asia Institute; Women's Suffrage - Infoplease; Women in Albania - Wiki; First free vote for Bahraini women - Guardian News & Media.