Switzerland vs United Kingdom: Universal right to vote in practice
Switzerland
2
in 2025
United Kingdom
2
in 2025
Switzerland rank
1st
United Kingdom rank
1st
Universal right to vote in practice over time
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 2 against 2 in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 228 shared years of data; in 1798 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Switzerland ranks 1st and United Kingdom ranks 1st of 197 countries.
Across the 24 decades both report, Switzerland averaged higher in 8 and United Kingdom in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Switzerland | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1820s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1840s | 0.2 | 0 | 0.2 | Switzerland |
| 1850s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1860s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1870s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1880s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1890s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1900s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1910s | 1 | 0.2 | 0.8 | Switzerland |
| 1920s | 1 | 1.2 | 0.2 | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 1 | 2 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 1 | 2 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 1 | 2 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 1 | 2 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 1.9 | 2 | 0.1 | United Kingdom |
| 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, Switzerland or United Kingdom?
- Switzerland, at 2 against 2 in United Kingdom as of 2025.
- What is the difference in universal right to vote in practice between Switzerland and United Kingdom?
- 0, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland and United Kingdom?
- 228 years are reported by both, from 1798 to 2025.
- How do Switzerland and United Kingdom rank globally for universal right to vote in practice?
- Switzerland 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).