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Historically speaking, women's suffrage—the right of women to vote in elections—is a remarkably recent development in the modern world. Although the state of New Jersey experimented with women's suffrage from 1776 to 1807, the earliest permanent establishment of women's suffrage in a full province (Pitcairn Islands) did not appear until 1838—and most sources agree that no fully sovereign nation would follow suit until Norway in 1913 (Finland in 1906 and New Zealand in 1896 were both earlier, but were technically territories of other countries at the time), barely a century ago.
Today, the situation has changed. Women now have the right to vote in every country and territory in the world except for one: Vatican City, in which only Catholic Church cardinals, who must be male, vote to elect the pope.
Having the legal right to vote does not always guarantee a realistic opportunity to vote. In some countries or regions, women have the legal right to vote, but are prevented from doing so by societal norms, harassment and violence at the polls, or pressure from their husbands.
For example, although pregnant females are given priority access at the polls in Kenya, according to watchdog website Votes without Violence and a 2019 United Nations report on election-related violence, individual instances of harassment or violence against female voters remain a concern.
Similarly, all Egyptians are automatically registered to vote when they turn 18 years old. However, according to a 2022 report by the non-profit Borgen Project, the seemingly common-sense requirement to show a valid I.D. at the polls can suppress the female vote. Women in this traditionally male-dominated society are less likely than men to have an ID (as well as an education and equal pay). Even if they have obtained one, it is often carried by their husband—who can withhold it and thereby prevent them from voting if he so desires.
One indicator of whether a country is effectively empowering women to vote is the number of women running for or serving in public office. In places where few women hold public office, the rights for women to vote—and their experience at the polls—may merit additional scrutiny.
For example, Nigeria's 2019 presidential election featured 73 candidates, but only six females—all six of whom withdrew their candidacy before the election. Women currently occupy less than 7% of Nigeria's national governmental seats (compared to a global average of approximately 26%) despite the fact that 47% of registered voters are female. However, experts see a clear cause for this disparity: a patriarchal national attitude that condones the suppression of women in many ways.
One well-known example of this attitude took place in 2016, when President Muhammadu Buhari declared “I don’t know exactly what party my wife belongs to. Actually she belongs in the kitchen, the living room and the other rooms in my house.” Statements such as these are often an indication that women's rights in a given country have room for improvement.
A handful of countries limit the voting rights of both men and women equally. For example, the absolute monarchy Brunei has not held a national public election since 1962, and a recent election in the United Arab Emirates granted suffrage to only 12% of all men and women, who were selected using undisclosed criteria.
The table below outlines the dates upon which women's suffrage was attained in the majority of the world's countries and territories. These range from countries in which women's suffrage is fully accepted and supported to countries in which women are legally allowed to vote, but in reality are often restricted from doing so.
Country | Date Full Suffrage Gained | Notes |
---|---|---|
Afghanistan | 1964 | Although women have the right to vote, suffrage is one of many female freedoms that the Taliban, which retook control of the country in 2021, has historically restricted |
Albania | 1945 | |
Algeria | 1962 | |
Andorra | 1970 | |
Angola | 1975 | |
Anguilla | 1951 | As British Leeward Islands |
Antigua and Barbuda | 1951 | As British Leeward Islands |
Argentina | 1947 | |
Armenia | 1919 | |
Aruba | 1949 | As Netherlands Antilles |
Australia | 1962 | 1894 for some colonies, 1902 for full territory (non-indigenous voters), 1962 for indigenous/aborigine voters |
Austria | 1918 | |
Azerbaijan | 1918 | |
Bahamas | 1960 | |
Bahrain | 2002 | No elections from 1973 to 2002 |
Bangladesh | 1971 | |
Barbados | 1950 | |
Belarus | 1919 | |
Belgium | 1948 | 1919 for communal voting, 1948 for provincial councils and the national parliament |
Belize | 1954 | As British Honduras |
Benin | 1956 | As Dahomey |
Bermuda | 1944 | |
Bhutan | 1953 | |
Bolivia | 1952 | In 1938 for literate/high income women, 1952 for all |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1990 | As Yugoslavia. 1945 in theory, 1990 in actual practice |
Botswana | 1965 | |
Brazil | 1932 | |
British Virgin Islands | 1951 | As British Leeward Islands |
Brunei | 1959 | No national elections since 1962. Men and women can vote in local elections |
Bulgaria | 1944 | 1937 for wives and widows in local elections, 1944 for all in all elections |
Burkina Faso | 1958 | As Upper Volta |
Burundi | 1961 | |
Cambodia | 1955 | |
Cameroon | 1946 | As British Cameroons |
Canada | 1960 | 1916-1940 for various provinces, 1960 for aboriginal women |
Cape Verde | 1975 | |
Cayman Islands | 1957 | |
Central African Republic | 1986 | |
Chad | 1958 | |
Chile | 1949 | 1934 for literate women and local elections |
China | 1949 | |
Colombia | 1954 | |
Comoros | 1956 | |
Cook Islands | 1893 | |
Costa Rica | 1949 | |
Croatia | 1990 | As Yugoslavia. 1945 in theory, 1990 in actual practice |
Cuba | 1934 | |
Curacao | 1949 | As Netherlands Antilles |
Cyprus | 1960 | |
Czech Republic | 1920 | As Czechoslovakia |
Denmark | 1915 | 1908 for local elections, 1915 for national |
Djibouti | 1946 | |
Dominica | 1951 | As British Windward Islands |
Dominican Republic | 1942 | |
DR Congo | 1967 | As Zaire |
Ecuador | 1967 | Limited suffrage for women 1929, equal for both genders in 1967 |
Egypt | 1956 | Society is traditionally patriarchal, which can suppress female vote. |
El Salvador | 1950 | 1939 for literate older women, 1950 for all |
Equatorial Guinea | 1963 | Country has been a one-party state without free or fair elections since 1987 |
Eritrea | Country was established in 1993 and has never held a national election. Local elections are considered free and fair | |
Estonia | 1917 | As a governate of Russia |
Eswatini | 1968 | As Swaziland. Country is an absolute monarchy with a questionable voting process and low voter turnout |
Ethiopia | 1955 | |
Faroe Islands | 1915 | As Denmark. 1908 for local elections, 1915 for national |
Fiji | 1963 | |
Finland | 1906 | Country was technically part of Russia at the time, became independent in 1917. |
France | 1944 | |
Gabon | 1956 | |
Gambia | 1960 | |
Georgia | 1918 | |
Germany | 1918 | |
Ghana | 1954 | |
Greece | 1952 | 1930 for literate women in local elections, 1952 for all |
Greenland | 1948 | |
Grenada | 1951 | As British Windward Islands |
Guatemala | 1965 | 1945 if literate. 1965 for all |
Guinea | 1958 | |
Guinea Bissau | 1977 | |
Guyana | 1953 | |
Haiti | 1950 | |
Honduras | 1955 | |
Hong Kong | 1949 | |
Hungary | 1945 | 1919 for women 30 and up who met educational and economical criteria. 1945 for all |
Iceland | 1920 | As Denmark. 1908 for local elections, 1915 for national for women 40+, 1920 for all |
India | 1947 | 1935 for married or literate women, 1947 for all |
Indonesia | 1945 | 1937 for Europeans, 1945 for all |
Iran | 1963 | Women in Iranian Azerbaijan previously enjoyed suffrage for one year as unrecognized Soviet puppet state from 1945-1946 |
Iraq | 1948 | free elections were held for first time in 2005 |
Ireland | 1922 | 1918 for women aged 30+ who met qualifications, 1922 for all |
Isle of Man | 1881 | |
Israel | 1948 | 1920 for Jewish settlement in Palestine, 1948 for all |
Italy | 1945 | 1925 for local elections. 1945 for all |
Ivory Coast | 1952 | |
Jamaica | 1944 | |
Japan | 1946 | |
Jersey | 1919 | Voting itself was restricted until after 1945, but was not gender-biased |
Jordan | 1974 | |
Kazakhstan | 1924 | |
Kenya | 1963 | Society is traditionally patriarchal, which can suppress female vote. |
Kiribati | 1967 | |
Kuwait | 2005 | Requires 20 years Kuwaiti citizenship |
Kyrgyzstan | 1918 | |
Laos | 1958 | |
Latvia | 1917 | |
Lebanon | 1952 | 1952 for women with elementary school education, 1957 for all |
Lesotho | 1965 | |
Liberia | 1946 | |
Libya | 1963 | 1951 for local, 1963 for all |
Liechtenstein | 1984 | |
Lithuania | 1918 | |
Luxembourg | 1919 | |
Madagascar | 1959 | |
Malawi | 1961 | |
Malaysia | 1955 | As Federation of Malaya |
Maldives | 1932 | |
Mali | 1956 | |
Malta | 1947 | |
Marshall Islands | 1979 | |
Mauritania | 1961 | |
Mauritius | 1956 | |
Mexico | 1953 | |
Micronesia | 1979 | |
Moldova | 1940 | 1929 for qualifying women & local elections, 1940 (establishment of new country) for all |
Monaco | 1962 | |
Mongolia | 1924 | |
Montenegro | 1990 | As Yugoslavia. 1945 in theory, 1990 in actual practice |
Montserrat | 1951 | As British Leeward Islands |
Morocco | 1963 | |
Mozambique | 1975 | |
Myanmar | 1922 | |
Namibia | 1989 | Upon establishing independence |
Nauru | 1968 | |
Nepal | 1951 | Upon becoming democracy |
Netherlands | 1919 | |
New Zealand | 1893 | |
Nicaragua | 1955 | |
Niger | 1948 | |
Nigeria | 1958 | |
North Korea | 1946 | |
North Macedonia | 1990 | As Yugoslavia. 1945 in theory, 1990 in actual practice |
Norway | 1913 | |
Oman | 1994 | Country is an absolute monarchy; elections select only an assembly of consultants to the sultan. Society is traditionally patriarchal, which can suppress female vote. |
Pakistan | 1947 | Full voting rights were given to men and women upon country's founding. Society is traditionally patriarchal, which can suppress female vote. |
Palau | 1979 | |
Palestine | 1996 | 1972 for local elections, 1996 for parliament. No elections since 2006 |
Panama | 1946 | 1941 for well-educated females, 1946 for all |
Papua New Guinea | 1964 | Society is traditionally patriarchal, which can suppress female vote. |
Paraguay | 1961 | |
Peru | 1955 | |
Philippines | 1937 | |
Poland | 1918 | |
Portugal | 1976 | 1911 with restrictions, rescinded, 1931 with restrictions, 1976 for all |
Puerto Rico | 1935 | 1929 for literate, 1935 for all |
Qatar | 1997 | General elections had been repeatedly delayed from 2013-2021. Voting still restricted for naturalized citizens and members of Al Murrah tribe, but is not gender-specific |
Republic of the Congo | 1963 | |
Romania | 1946 | 1929 for qualified females and local elections. 1938 with restrictions for national elections. 1946 for all |
Russia | 1917 | |
Rwanda | 1961 | |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1951 | As British Leeward Islands |
Saint Lucia | 1951 | As British Windward Islands |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1951 | As British Windward Islands |
Samoa | 1990 | |
San Marino | 1959 | |
Sao Tome and Principe | 1975 | |
Saudi Arabia | 2015 | Granted 2011, not realized until 2015. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy that rarely holds national elections. Society is traditionally patriarchal, which can suppress female vote. |
Senegal | 1945 | |
Serbia | 1990 | As Yugoslavia. 1945 in theory, 1990 in actual practice |
Seychelles | 1948 | |
Sierra Leone | 1961 | Women could vote in the 1790s, when Sierra Leone was a British colony |
Singapore | 1947 | |
Sint Maarten | 1949 | As Netherlands Antilles |
Slovakia | 1920 | As Czechoslovakia |
Slovenia | 1990 | As Yugoslavia. 1945 in theory, 1990 in actual practice |
Solomon Islands | 1974 | |
Somalia | 1956 | |
South Africa | 1994 | 1930 for Europeans and Asians, 1994 for all |
South Korea | 1948 | |
Spain | 1977 | Granted 1924-1926, but no elections were held. Re-granted in 1931, revoked 1939. Re-established 1977 |
Sri Lanka | 1931 | As Ceylon |
Sudan | 1964 | |
Suriname | 1948 | |
Sweden | 1919 | |
Switzerland | 1971 | 1959 for local elections in Vaud and Neuchâtel, 1989 for Appenzell Ausserrhoden, 1990 for Appenzell Innerrhoden. 1971 for national elections |
Syria | 1949 | |
Taiwan | 1947 | As part of mainland China |
Tajikistan | 1924 | |
Tanzania | 1959 | Society is traditionally patriarchal, which can suppress female vote. |
Thailand | 1932 | |
Timor Leste | 1976 | |
Togo | 1945 | |
Tonga | 1960 | |
Trinidad and Tobago | 1945 | 1925 for men over 21 and women over 30, 1945 for all |
Tunisia | 1957 | |
Turkey | 1934 | 1930 for local elections, 1934 for all |
Turkmenistan | 1924 | |
Tuvalu | 1967 | |
Uganda | 1962 | Society is traditionally patriarchal, which can suppress female vote. |
Ukraine | 1917 | As the Ukrainian People's Republic |
United Arab Emirates | 2006 | Country is authoritative constitutional monarchy; elections select only an assembly of consultants to the Federal Supreme Council |
United Kingdom | 1928 | 1918 for qualified women aged 30+, 1928 for all |
United States | 1965 | 1920 according to the Nineteenth Amendment (and earlier in some states), but some southern states withheld the vote from black voters of both genders until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 |
United States Virgin Islands | 1936 | Voting required men and women to have minimum $300 income, but was not gender-specific |
Uruguay | 1917 | Universal suffrage granted 1917, no election held until 1927 |
Uzbekistan | 1938 | |
Vanuatu | 1975 | |
Vatican City | Lacks female suffrage. Vatican City is a monarchy in which the only elections are to elect the Pope, and the only eligible voters are Catholic cardinals, who are required to be male. Women, in fact, comprise less than 6% of the Vatican City's population | |
Venezuela | 1946 | Elections in Venezuela are widely disputed, with both major parties claiming to be the legitimate government after the 2019 election |
Vietnam | 1946 | As North Vietnam |
Yemen | 1970 | As South Yemen (1967) and North Yemen (1970) |
Zambia | 1962 | As Northern Rhodesia |
Zimbabwe | 1978 | As Southern Rhodesia. 1919 for white women, 1978 for all |
Women can legally vote in all nations except in Vatican City. There, the Catholic Church allows only Cardinals, all of whom are male, to vote for the pope.