Women's Right To Vote

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Updated in .

A Timespace showing the evolution of women's right to vote around the world. Cover image by Giacomo Ferroni. Under construction!

This timeline has 233 events organized into 8 topics:

Europe
North America
Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia
Central America and the Caribbean
South America
Australia and Oceania

This timeline has 233 events:

25/09/2011Saudi Arabia: King Abdullah lifts ban on women's vote

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

12/12/2015

Saudi Arabia: first election that allows women to vote

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

16/12/200620/12/2006UAE: 1,163 women allowed to vote in the country's first ever election

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1980Iraq: women are granted the right to vote and run for office

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

16/05/2005Kuwait: 1999 ban on women's suffrage is lifted

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1994Oman: first Gulf State to allow women to vote

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/2003Oman: universal suffrage is granted

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/2004

Afghanistan: women allowed to vote by the most recent constitution

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

19/08/1919

Afghanistan: the country becomes independent and women are allowed to vote

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1964

Afghanistan: new constitution allows women to vote and run for office

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/11/1990Western Samoa: suffrage to all citizens over 21 is granted

Asia

05/04/1991 • 09:00:0005/04/1991 • 15:00:00Western Samoa: first election since universal suffrage

Asia

07/11/1989

Namibia: the country holds its first election, supervised by the UN

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1985

Kuwait: voting is first introduced in the country and women have the right to vote

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

02/07/1984Liechtenstein: referendum grants women right to vote

Europe

02/04/1979Palau: the Palauan constitution is drafted and women have the right to vote

Australia and Oceania

01/05/1979Marshall Islands: women get the right to vote

Australia and Oceania

03/11/1979Federated States of Micronesia: women get the right to vote

Australia and Oceania

11/08/1979Nigeria: Northern women are allowed to vote

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1979Guinea-Bissau

Sub-Saharan Africa

28/05/1911

Portugal: Carolina Beatriz Ângelo becomes the first woman to vote

Europe

01/01/1931Portugal: women are allowed to vote

Europe

25/04/1974Portugal: universal suffrage

Europe

12/07/1975Sao Tome and Principe: the country becomes independent from Portugal

Sub-Saharan Africa

25/06/1975Mozambique: the country becomes independent from Portugal

Sub-Saharan Africa

05/07/1975Cape Verde: the country becomes independent from Portugal

Sub-Saharan Africa

11/11/1975

Angola: the country becomes independent from Portugal

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1974Jordan: women allowed to vote

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1989Jordan: women exercise their right to vote for the first time

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

24/10/2002Bahrain: women vote for the first time

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

04/11/1972

Bangladesh: a new constitution is adopted granting women right to vote

Asia

01/01/1970Andorra: women allowed to vote

Europe

03/05/1967Democratic Republic of the Congo: the constitution introduces women suffrage

Sub-Saharan Africa

03/01/1945Guatemala: new constitution lifts restrictions on voting

Central America and the Caribbean

31/10/1971Switzerland: women are first allowed to vote on federal elections

Europe

03/03/1929

Ecuador: new constitution passes the law for women suffrage

South America

30/04/1965Lesotho

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1953Bhutan

Asia

25/09/1955Cambodia

Asia

01/10/1949China: women allowed to vote after the proclamation of the People's Republic of China

Asia

01/01/1947Taiwan

Asia

15/10/1947India: women are allowed to vote after independence from the United Kingdom

Asia

26/01/1950

India: constitution comes into effect and consolidates women's right to vote

Asia

17/08/1945Indonesia: proclamation of independence and universal suffrage

Asia

03/05/1947

Japan: post-war constitution comes into effect and establishes universal suffrage

Asia

31/01/1924Kazakhstan

Asia

31/07/1946North Korea: Sex Equality Law passes

Asia

17/07/1948South Korea

Asia

01/06/1918

Kyrgyzstan: women allowed to vote after Soviet occupation

Asia

01/01/1958Laos

Asia

31/08/1957Malaysia: becomes independent from the United Kingdom and women are allowed to vote

Asia

01/01/1932Maldives

Asia

01/11/1924Mongolia

Asia

01/01/1929Myanmar

Asia

01/01/1951Nepal

Asia

30/04/1937

Philippines: women's suffrage is granted after a special plebiscite

Asia

18/07/1947Singapore

Asia

20/03/1931Sri Lanka: universal suffrage

Asia

01/01/1924Tajikistan

Asia

10/12/1932Thailand

Asia

01/01/1927Turkmenistan

Asia

01/01/1938Uzbekistan

Asia

06/01/1946Vietnam: first election in which women are allowed to vote

Asia

01/01/1956Benin

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/03/1965Botswana: universal suffrage

Sub-Saharan Africa

28/09/1958Burkina Faso

Sub-Saharan Africa

17/08/1961Burundi

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/10/1946Cameroon

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1986Central African Republic

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1958Chad

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1956Comoros

Sub-Saharan Africa

08/12/1963Congo Republic

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1952Cote d'Ivoire

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1946Djibouti: women allowed to vote

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1986Djibouti: women allowed to stand for election

Sub-Saharan Africa

15/12/1963Equatorial Guinea

Sub-Saharan Africa

04/11/1955Eritrea

Sub-Saharan Africa

04/11/1955 • 12:00:00Ethiopia

Sub-Saharan Africa

23/05/1956Gabon

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1960Gambia

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1954Ghana

Sub-Saharan Africa

02/10/1958Guinea

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1977Guinea-Bissau

Sub-Saharan Africa

12/12/1963Kenya: universal suffrage

Sub-Saharan Africa

07/05/1946Liberia

Sub-Saharan Africa

29/04/1959Madagascar

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1961Malawi

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1956Mali

Sub-Saharan Africa

20/05/1961Mauritania

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1956Mauritius

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1948 Niger

Niger

Sub-Saharan Africa

25/09/1961 Rwanda

Rwanda

Sub-Saharan Africa

19/02/1945Senegal

Sub-Saharan Africa

06/08/1948Seychelles

Sub-Saharan Africa

27/04/1961Sierra Leone

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/11/1964Sudan

Sub-Saharan Africa

06/09/1968Swaziland

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1959Tanzania

Sub-Saharan Africa

22/08/1945Togo

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1962Uganda

Sub-Saharan Africa

30/10/1962Zambia

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1930

South Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa

01/01/1957Zimbabwe

Sub-Saharan Africa

23/09/1947Argentina: promulgation of Law 13.010

South America

21/07/1952Bolivia

South America

16/07/1934Brazil: all restrictions lifted

South America

01/01/1934Chile: women suffrage allowed for municipal elections

South America

08/01/1949Chile: women allowed to vote in presidential and parlamentary elections

South America

25/08/1954Colombia

South America

01/01/1953Guyana

South America

05/07/1961

Paraguay: women are given the same political rights as men

South America

07/09/1955Peru: promulgation of Law 12.391

South America

09/12/1948Suriname

South America

27/03/1938Uruguay: first election that allows women's vote

South America

05/07/1947

Venezuela: new constitution grants women suffrage

South America

20/09/1917Canada: limited suffrage

North America

24/05/1918Canada: voting rights expanded; still excluded based on race

North America

01/01/1950

Canada: Indigenous women and men get the federal vote

North America

15/02/1947Mexico: women allowed to vote in municipal elections

North America

17/10/1953Mexico: women allowed electoral rights in federal elections

North America

04/06/1919

United States of America: the 19th amendment passed

North America

05/07/1962Algeria

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

21/07/1919Azerbaijan: women over 20 are allowed to vote and stand for election

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

23/06/1956

Egypt: new constitution affirms gender equality in electoral rights

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/09/1963Iran

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1951Israel: Women’s Equal Rights Law

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1952Lebanon

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1963Libya

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/05/1963Morocco

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1947Pakistan: independence from the British

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1999Qatar

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1956Somalia

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

10/09/1949Syria: women allowed to vote

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1953Syria: women allowed to stand for election

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1957Tunisia: municipal elections

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/06/1959Tunisia: all elections

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

03/04/1930Turkey: women allowed to vote in local elections

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

05/12/1934

Turkey: women allowed to stand for election and vote in national elections

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1967Yemen (People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen)

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1970Yemen (Arab Republic of Yemen)

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

12/06/1902Australia

Australia and Oceania

18/06/1962Australia: all aboriginal people get the right to vote

Australia and Oceania

17/04/1963Fiji: women allowed to vote

Australia and Oceania

05/05/1963Fiji: women allowed to stand for election

Australia and Oceania

15/11/1967Kiribati

Australia and Oceania

03/01/1968 Nauru

Nauru

Australia and Oceania

19/09/1893

New Zealand: women allowed to vote

Australia and Oceania

29/10/1919

New Zealand: women allowed to stand for election

Australia and Oceania

15/02/1964Papua New Guinea: women allowed to vote

Australia and Oceania

27/02/1963Papua New Guinea: women allowed to stand for election

Australia and Oceania

01/10/1990 Samoa

Samoa

Australia and Oceania

01/01/1978Solomon Islands

Australia and Oceania

01/01/1960Tonga

Australia and Oceania

01/01/1947

Tuvalu: women allowed to vote

Australia and Oceania

01/01/1967Tuvalu: women allowed to stand for election

Australia and Oceania

01/11/1975Vanuatu

Australia and Oceania

01/12/1951Antigua & Barbuda

Central America and the Caribbean

18/02/1961The Bahamas

Central America and the Caribbean

23/10/1950Barbados

Central America and the Caribbean

25/03/1954Belize

Central America and the Caribbean

17/11/1949Costa Rica

Central America and the Caribbean

02/01/1934Cuba

Central America and the Caribbean

01/07/1951Dominica

Central America and the Caribbean

01/01/1942

Dominican Republic

Central America and the Caribbean

01/01/1939El Salvador: women allowed to vote

Central America and the Caribbean

01/01/1961

El Salvador: women allowed to stand for election

Central America and the Caribbean

01/08/1951Grenada

Central America and the Caribbean

25/11/1950Haiti

Central America and the Caribbean

20/11/1944Jamaica

Central America and the Caribbean

21/04/1955Nicaragua

Central America and the Caribbean

01/07/1941Panama: limited voting rights for women

Central America and the Caribbean

01/03/1946Panama: all restrictions lifted on women suffrage

Central America and the Caribbean

01/01/1951Saint Kitts and Nevis

Central America and the Caribbean

01/01/1924

Saint Lucia

Central America and the Caribbean

05/05/1951Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Central America and the Caribbean

01/01/1946Trinidad and Tobago

Central America and the Caribbean

01/01/1920Albania

Europe

02/02/1921Armenia

Europe

12/11/1918Austria

Europe

04/02/1919Belarus

Europe

09/05/1919Belgium: limited women suffrage

Europe

07/02/1921Belgium: women allowed to stand for election, with restrictions

Europe

27/03/1948Belgium: universal suffrage

Europe

31/01/1949Bosnia and Herzegovina

Europe

16/10/1944

Bulgaria

Europe

11/08/1945 Croatia

Croatia

Europe

16/08/1960Cyprus

Europe

29/02/1920Czech Republic

Europe

05/06/1915Denmark: women allowed to vote in national elections

Europe

12/04/1917Estonia

Europe

20/07/1906Finland

Europe

21/04/1944 France

France

Europe

22/11/1918Georgia

Europe

30/11/1918Germany

Europe

01/01/1918Hungary: limited suffrage

Europe

19/06/1915Iceland: women of a certain age allowed to vote

Europe

02/06/1918Ireland: women over 30 years allowed to vote and stand for election

Europe

02/07/1928Ireland: universal suffrage

Europe

01/02/1945

Italy: women can vote, but their right to be elected was limited

Europe

18/11/1918Latvia: women allowed to vote

Europe

05/10/1921Lithuania

Europe

15/05/1919Luxembourg

Europe

31/12/1946Macedonia

Europe

25/10/1947Malta

Europe

04/04/1978 Moldova

Moldova

Europe

17/12/1962 Monaco

Monaco

Europe

09/08/1919Netherlands: women allowed to vote

Europe

06/04/1917Netherlands: women allowed to stand for elections, but still can't vote

Europe

14/06/1907Norway: women allowed to vote in special cases

Europe

11/06/1913Norway: all restrictions lifted

Europe

28/11/1918Poland

Europe

01/01/1929Romania: women have restricted voting rights

Europe

01/07/1946Romania: all restrictions lifted

Europe

01/07/1917Russia

Europe

29/04/1959San Marino: women allowed to vote

Europe

10/09/1973San Marino: women allowed to stand for election

Europe

01/01/1920Slovakia

Europe

10/08/1945Slovenia

Europe

01/10/1931

Spain: women allowed to vote

Europe

08/05/1931

Spain: women allowed to stand for election

Europe

10/03/1919Ukraine

Europe

02/02/1930Great Britain: with age restriction (over 30 years old)

Europe

02/07/1928Great Britain: universal suffrage

Europe

03/07/1927Uruguay: Rita Ribeiro, the first Latin American woman to vote

South America

01/01/199601/12/2001Afghanistan: women are denied many rights under Taleban rule

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

01/01/1929Afghanistan: return to Sharia Law

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

05/04/1928

Brazil: Celina Guimarães Viana becomes the first Brazilian woman to vote

South America

24/02/1932

Brazil: women allowed to vote, with restrictions

South America

28/05/1952Greece: full suffrage

Europe

20/04/1908Denmark: women allowed to vote in municipal elections

Europe

09/05/1919Netherlands

Europe

15/05/1920Slovenia: women allowed to vote in municipal elections

Europe

18/12/1894Australia: Women in South Australia are enfranchised

Australia and Oceania

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