Country rankings

Countries with Mandatory Voting

Countries with Mandatory Voting: compare 213 countries on 4 metrics.

LawPolitics & Government213 countries · 4 metricsUpdated Nov 28, 2024Original page
11 sources

Voting Status

3 values across 213 entries

Data

Click a column to sort.

213 countries
AfghanistanNo Elections———
AlbaniaNot Mandatory———
AlgeriaNot Mandatory———
AndorraNot Mandatory———
AngolaNot Mandatory———
AnguillaNot Mandatory———
Antigua and BarbudaNot Mandatory———
ArgentinaMandatory1,912Exempt:, - Ages 16 to 18 and anyone over 70.+3Voluntary for those between 16 and 18 years of age.
ArmeniaNot Mandatory———
ArubaNot Mandatory———
AustraliaMandatory1,924Travel, illness, religious objection, seasonal workers, anyone without a fixed address, not registered to vote—
AustriaNot Mandatory——The region of Tyrol Practiced from 1929 to 2004, The region of Vorarlberg Practiced from 1929 to 1992+1
AzerbaijanNot Mandatory———
BahamasNot Mandatory———
BahrainNot Mandatory———
BangladeshNot Mandatory———
BarbadosNot Mandatory———
BelarusNot Mandatory———
BelgiumMandatory1892 (men); 1949 (women)Not registered to vote—
BelizeNot Mandatory———
BeninNot Mandatory———
BermudaNot Mandatory———
BhutanNot Mandatory———
BoliviaMandatory1,952Over 70, absent on Election Day, force majeureNot enforced for those who are over 70 years old, who prove they have been absent from the national territory at the time of voting by a moment of voting, and those who could not vote by force majeure.
Bosnia and HerzegovinaNot Mandatory———
BotswanaNot Mandatory———
BrazilMandatory1,932Ages 16 to 18 and anyone over 70, those far away from home on election day (must be pre-approved) or cannot readVoluntary for the illiterate, those over 16 and under 18 years of age, and those over 70 years of age.
British Virgin IslandsNot Mandatory———
BruneiNo Elections——Absolute Monarchies
BulgariaNot Mandatory2,016——
Burkina FasoNot Mandatory———
BurundiNot Mandatory———
CambodiaNot Mandatory———
CameroonNot Mandatory———
CanadaNot Mandatory———
Cape VerdeNot Mandatory———
Cayman IslandsNot Mandatory———
Central African RepublicNot Mandatory———
ChadNot Mandatory———
ChileMandatoryPracticed from 1925 to 2012. Compulsory voting was reinstated in 2024Health incompatibility, being over 200 km away from voting poll and any justification accepted by local courthouseChile abandoned compulsory voting in 2012. Compulsory voting was reinstated in 2024
ChinaNot Mandatory——One-party state
ColombiaNot Mandatory———
ComorosNot Mandatory———
Cook IslandsNot Mandatory———
Costa RicaMandatory1,959—Although the electoral legislation formally provides for the obligation of suffrage, it is generally understood as a civic duty, without legal sanctions for non-compliance.
CroatiaNot Mandatory———
CubaNot Mandatory———
CyprusNot MandatoryPracticed from 1960 to 2017—Cyprus abandoned compulsory voting in 2017.
DenmarkNot Mandatory———
DjiboutiNot Mandatory———
DominicaNot Mandatory———
Dominican RepublicNot MandatoryPracticed till 2010—Dominican Republic formally abandoned compulsory voting in 2010.
DR CongoMandatory———
EcuadorMandatory1947 for men, 1968 for both sexesAges 16 to 18 and anyone over 65 or who cannot readVoluntary for those between 16 and 18 years of age, those over 65 years of age, Ecuadorians who are members of the Armed Forces and National Police, those with disabilities and those who live abroad
EgyptMandatory1,956—This is the year from which we have found the earliest law.
El SalvadorNot Mandatory———
Equatorial GuineaNot Mandatory———
EritreaNo Elections——One-party state
EstoniaNot Mandatory———
EswatiniNot Mandatory——Absolute Monarchies
EthiopiaNot Mandatory———
Falkland IslandsNot Mandatory——Constitutional monarchy
Faroe IslandsNot Mandatory———
FijiNot MandatoryPracticed from 1992 to 2006—Fiji abandoned compulsory voting in 2014.
FinlandNot Mandatory———
FranceNot Mandatory1950's or 60's (Senate only)——
GabonMandatory———
GambiaNot Mandatory———
GeorgiaNot Mandatory———
GermanyNot Mandatory———
GhanaNot Mandatory———
GibraltarNot Mandatory———
GreeceMandatory1,926Over 70Administrative sanctions, including prohibition to issue a passport, a driving license or an occupational license, were officially lifted in year 2000. Voting is not compulsory for those who are over 70 years old, hospitalized citizens, and those residing abroad.
GreenlandNot Mandatory———
GrenadaNot Mandatory———
GuadeloupeNot Mandatory———
GuatemalaNot Mandatory——Guatemala abandoned compulsory voting in 1990.
GuineaNot Mandatory———
Guinea-BissauNot Mandatory———
GuyanaNot Mandatory———
HaitiNot Mandatory———
HondurasMandatory———
Hong KongNot Mandatory——Executive, legislative and independent judicial power
HungaryNot Mandatory———
IcelandNot Mandatory———
IndiaNot Mandatory———
IndonesiaNot Mandatory———
IranNot Mandatory———
IraqNot Mandatory———
IrelandNot Mandatory———
IsraelNot Mandatory———
ItalyNot MandatoryPractised from 1945 to 1993——
Ivory CoastNot Mandatory———
JamaicaNot Mandatory———
JapanNot Mandatory———
JordanNot Mandatory———
KazakhstanNot Mandatory———
KenyaNot Mandatory———
KiribatiNot Mandatory———
KuwaitNot Mandatory———
KyrgyzstanNot Mandatory———
LaosNot Mandatory———
LatviaNot Mandatory———
LebanonMandatory——21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education; excludes military personnel.
LesothoNot Mandatory———
LiberiaNot Mandatory———
LibyaNot Mandatory———
LiechtensteinMandatory———
LithuaniaNot Mandatory———
LuxembourgMandatory—Under 18 or over 75, live abroadVoluntary for those over 75 years of age, and for those who are away from their municipality on election day.
MadagascarNot Mandatory———
MalawiNot Mandatory———
MalaysiaNot Mandatory———
MaldivesNot Mandatory———
MaliNot Mandatory———
MaltaNot Mandatory———
Marshall IslandsNot Mandatory———
MauritaniaNot Mandatory———
MauritiusNot Mandatory———
MexicoMandatory1,857——
MicronesiaNot Mandatory———
MoldovaNot Mandatory———
MonacoNot Mandatory———
MongoliaNot Mandatory———
MontenegroNot Mandatory———
MontserratNot Mandatory———
MoroccoNot Mandatory———
MozambiqueNot Mandatory———
MyanmarNot Mandatory———
NamibiaNot Mandatory———
NauruMandatory1,965——
NepalNot Mandatory———
NetherlandsNot MandatoryPractised from 1917 to 1967——
New ZealandNot Mandatory———
NicaraguaNot Mandatory———
NigerNot Mandatory———
NigeriaNot Mandatory———
NiueNot Mandatory———
North KoreaMandatory——Everyone over age 17 is required to vote
North MacedoniaNot Mandatory———
Northern Mariana IslandsNot Mandatory——Presidential representative democratic system
NorwayNot Mandatory———
OmanNot Mandatory———
PakistanNot Mandatory———
PalauNot Mandatory———
PalestineNot Mandatory———
PanamaMandatory———
Papua New GuineaNot Mandatory———
ParaguayMandatory——Voluntary for those over 75 years of age.
PeruMandatory1,933—Voluntary for those over 75 years of age.
PhilippinesNot MandatoryAttempt to practice 1972-1986 under martial law.——
PolandNot Mandatory———
PortugalNot Mandatory———
Puerto RicoNot Mandatory——Republican democracy
QatarNot Mandatory———
Republic of the CongoNot Mandatory———
RomaniaNot Mandatory———
RussiaNot Mandatory———
RwandaNot Mandatory———
Saint Kitts and NevisNot Mandatory———
Saint LuciaNot Mandatory———
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesNot Mandatory———
SamoaMandatory2,019—First implemented in 2021 General Elections
San MarinoNot Mandatory———
Sao Tome and PrincipeNot Mandatory———
Saudi ArabiaNo Elections——Absolute Monarchies
SenegalNot Mandatory———
SerbiaNot Mandatory———
SeychellesNot Mandatory———
Sierra LeoneNot Mandatory———
SingaporeMandatory—Travel, illness, under 21The non-voter is removed from the voter register until he/she reapplies and provides a reason. Fee applies only if the voter does not have valid reason for not voting. The non-voter is also disqualified from being a candidate at any subsequent Presidential or Parliamentary ele…
SlovakiaNot Mandatory———
SloveniaNot Mandatory———
Solomon IslandsNot Mandatory———
SomaliaNot Mandatory———
South AfricaNot Mandatory———
South KoreaNot Mandatory———
South SudanNo Elections——Provisional government
SpainNot MandatoryPracticed from 1907 to 1923——
Sri LankaNot Mandatory———
SudanNot Mandatory———
SurinameNot Mandatory———
SwedenNot Mandatory———
SwitzerlandNot Mandatory1,904—Still mandatory in the canton of Schaffhausen. Abolished in all other cantons in 1974
SyriaNot Mandatory———
TaiwanNot Mandatory———
TajikistanNot Mandatory———
TanzaniaNot Mandatory———
ThailandMandatory1,997——
Timor-LesteNot Mandatory———
TogoNot Mandatory———
TokelauNot Mandatory——Non-self-governing territory
TongaNot Mandatory———
Trinidad and TobagoNot Mandatory———
TunisiaNot Mandatory———
TurkeyMandatory———
TurkmenistanNot Mandatory———
Turks and Caicos IslandsNot Mandatory——Constitutional monarchy
TuvaluNot Mandatory———
UgandaNot Mandatory———
UkraineNot Mandatory———
United Arab EmiratesNot Mandatory——Semi-constitutional monarchies
United KingdomNot Mandatory———
United StatesNot Mandatory——Georgia and Virginia had legal provisions for imposing fines for not voting in the 18th century; North Dakota (1898) and Massachusetts (1918) amended their constitutions to allow for compulsory voting, but these states never enacted statutes to implement it (Source: The Case f…
UruguayMandatory1,934Health issues, absence on election day, force majeure, citizenship suspensionCompulsory voting was not in practiced until 1970
UzbekistanNot Mandatory———
VanuatuNot Mandatory———
Vatican CityNo Elections——Absolute Monarchies
VenezuelaNot MandatoryPracticed from 1958 to 1993—Venezuela abandoned compulsory voting in 1993. A provision in the Constitution describing voting as a duty remained until 1999. Nevertheless, the elimination of legal sanctions in 1993 marks that year as the end of compulsory voting (Carey and Horiuchi, 2017). Compulsory votin…
VietnamNot Mandatory———
YemenNot Mandatory———
ZambiaNot Mandatory———
ZimbabweNot Mandatory———

Quick answers

Where does this countries with mandatory voting data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Voter Turnout Database - International IDEA; Compulsory Voting - International IDEA; List of countries by system of government - Wikipedia; How to vote in France- Elections Europa.