Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote in United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates: Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote was 36.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
36.0%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
171st
of 176 countries
All-time high
36.0%
in 2019
All-time low
0.0%
in 1971
Years of data
55
1971–2025

Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote in United Arab Emirates, 1971–2025

010203040197119982025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2025, share of adult citizens who have the right to vote in United Arab Emirates stood at 36.0%. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.

That represents a change of up 44.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adult citizens who have the right to vote in United Arab Emirates peaked at 36.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1971.

That places United Arab Emirates 171st out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote in United Arab Emirates, year by year

Annual values for Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote in United Arab Emirates, 1971 to 2025.
Year % Change
1971 0.0%
1972 0.0%
1973 0.0%
1974 0.0%
1975 0.0%
1976 0.0%
1977 0.0%
1978 0.0%
1979 0.0%
1980 0.0%
1981 0.0%
1982 0.0%
1983 0.0%
1984 0.0%
1985 0.0%
1986 0.0%
1987 0.0%
1988 0.0%
1989 0.0%
1990 0.0%
1991 0.0%
1992 0.0%
1993 0.0%
1994 0.0%
1995 0.0%
1996 0.0%
1997 0.0%
1998 0.0%
1999 0.0%
2000 0.0%
2001 0.0%
2002 0.0%
2003 0.0%
2004 0.0%
2005 0.0%
2006 2.0%
2007 2.0% +0.0%
2008 2.0% +0.0%
2009 2.0% +0.0%
2010 2.0% +0.0%
2011 16.0% +700.0%
2012 16.0% +0.0%
2013 16.0% +0.0%
2014 16.0% +0.0%
2015 25.0% +56.2%
2016 25.0% +0.0%
2017 25.0% +0.0%
2018 25.0% +0.0%
2019 36.0% +44.0%
2020 36.0% +0.0%
2021 36.0% +0.0%
2022 36.0% +0.0%
2023 36.0% +0.0%
2024 36.0% +0.0%
2025 36.0% +0.0%

United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries

  • United Arab Emirates's 36.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 100.0%, 36% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • United Arab Emirates's 36.0% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 100.0%, 36% of the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 9
1980s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10
1990s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10
2000s 0.8% 0.0% 2.0% 10
2010s 20.2% 2.0% 36.0% 10
2020s 36.0% 36.0% 36.0% 6

Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates

  1. 170 Thailand 99.4% compare
  2. 172 Qatar 35.0% compare
  3. 173 Somalia 0.2% compare
  4. 174 Palestine 0.0%
  5. 174 Saudi Arabia 0.0%
  6. 174 Vatican 0.0%

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for United Arab Emirates

All data for United Arab Emirates →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adult citizens who have the right to vote in United Arab Emirates?
Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote in United Arab Emirates was 36.0% in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of adult citizens who have the right to vote recorded in United Arab Emirates?
The highest recorded value was 36.0% in 2019.
What is the lowest share of adult citizens who have the right to vote recorded in United Arab Emirates?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1971.
How does United Arab Emirates rank for share of adult citizens who have the right to vote?
United Arab Emirates ranks 171st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of adult citizens who have the right to vote rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
Over the last ten years it is up 44.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United Arab Emirates data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote in United Arab Emirates. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/suffrage/united-arab-emirates/

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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.