North Korea vs United States: Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote

North Korea
100.0%
in 2025
United States
100.0%
in 2025
North Korea rank
1st
United States rank
1st

Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote over time

  • North Korea
  • United States
020406080100178919072025

How they compare

North Korea currently reports 100.0% against 100.0% in United States, a difference of 0.0%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 203 shared years of data; in 1789 it was United States ahead.

North Korea ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 176 countries.

Across the 23 decades both report, North Korea averaged higher in 2 and United States in 15.

Head to head by decade

Decade North Korea United States Difference Ahead
1780s 0.0% 27.5% 27.5% United States
1790s 0.0% 29.5% 29.5% United States
1800s 0.0% 32.0% 32.0% United States
1810s 0.0% 34.0% 34.0% United States
1820s 0.0% 35.0% 35.0% United States
1830s 0.0% 35.0% 35.0% United States
1840s 0.0% 35.0% 35.0% United States
1850s 0.0% 35.0% 35.0% United States
1860s 0.0% 35.0% 35.0% United States
1870s 0.0% 44.0% 44.0% United States
1880s 0.0% 43.0% 43.0% United States
1890s 0.0% 42.0% 42.0% United States
1900s 0.0% 41.0% 41.0% United States
1910s 0.0% 41.0% 41.0% United States
1940s 20.0% 94.0% 74.0% United States
1950s 100.0% 95.0% 5.0% North Korea
1960s 100.0% 97.0% 3.0% North Korea
1970s 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
1980s 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
1990s 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
2000s 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
2010s 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
2020s 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of adult citizens who have the right to vote, North Korea or United States?
North Korea, at 100.0% against 100.0% in United States as of 2025.
What is the difference in share of adult citizens who have the right to vote between North Korea and United States?
0.0%, with North Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and United States?
203 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do North Korea and United States rank globally for share of adult citizens who have the right to vote?
North Korea ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote
Unit
%
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,409 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Share of adult citizens which have the legal right to vote in national elections.