Ireland vs United Kingdom: Universal right to vote in practice
Ireland
2
in 2025
United Kingdom
2
in 2025
Ireland rank
1st
United Kingdom rank
1st
Universal right to vote in practice over time
- Ireland
- United Kingdom
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 2 against 2 in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1918 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Ireland ranks 1st and United Kingdom ranks 1st of 197 countries.
Across the 12 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 1 and United Kingdom in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.6 | Ireland |
| 1930s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1950s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher universal right to vote in practice, Ireland or United Kingdom?
- Ireland, at 2 against 2 in United Kingdom as of 2025.
- What is the difference in universal right to vote in practice between Ireland and United Kingdom?
- 0, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and United Kingdom?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1918 to 2025.
- How do Ireland and United Kingdom rank globally for universal right to vote in practice?
- Ireland ranks 1st and United Kingdom ranks 1st of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Universal right to vote in practice. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Indicates whether virtually all adult citizens have the right to vote in practice (score 2), only men have broad voting rights in practice (score 1), or there are no broad voting rights in practice (score 0).