Switzerland vs United States: Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote
Switzerland
100.0%
in 2025
United States
100.0%
in 2025
Switzerland rank
1st
United States rank
1st
Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote over time
- Switzerland
- United States
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 100.0% against 100.0% in United States, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 228 shared years of data; in 1798 it was Switzerland ahead.
Switzerland ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Across the 24 decades both report, Switzerland averaged higher in 8 and United States in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Switzerland | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1790s | 50.0% | 30.0% | 20.0% | Switzerland |
| 1800s | 18.5% | 32.0% | 13.5% | United States |
| 1810s | 15.0% | 34.0% | 19.0% | United States |
| 1820s | 15.0% | 35.0% | 20.0% | United States |
| 1830s | 28.5% | 35.0% | 6.5% | United States |
| 1840s | 32.0% | 35.0% | 3.0% | United States |
| 1850s | 40.0% | 35.0% | 5.0% | Switzerland |
| 1860s | 40.0% | 35.0% | 5.0% | Switzerland |
| 1870s | 46.0% | 44.0% | 2.0% | Switzerland |
| 1880s | 50.0% | 43.0% | 7.0% | Switzerland |
| 1890s | 50.0% | 42.0% | 8.0% | Switzerland |
| 1900s | 50.0% | 41.0% | 9.0% | Switzerland |
| 1910s | 50.0% | 41.0% | 9.0% | Switzerland |
| 1920s | 50.0% | 88.0% | 38.0% | United States |
| 1930s | 50.0% | 90.7% | 40.7% | United States |
| 1940s | 50.0% | 93.4% | 43.4% | United States |
| 1950s | 50.0% | 95.0% | 45.0% | United States |
| 1960s | 50.0% | 97.0% | 47.0% | United States |
| 1970s | 90.0% | 100.0% | 10.0% | United States |
| 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, Switzerland or United States?
- Switzerland, 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 Switzerland and United States?
- 0.0%, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland and United States?
- 228 years are reported by both, from 1798 to 2025.
- How do Switzerland and United States rank globally for share of adult citizens who have the right to vote?
- Switzerland 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
Share of adult citizens which have the legal right to vote in national elections.