Voting and standing as candidate in elections are amongst the most fundamental rights of political participation in democratic societies.

Generally, citizens acquire the right to vote when reaching the age of 18, which is considered to coincide with the coming to adulthood. This is the case in the vast majority of the countries covered in the map, with the exception of Austria and Malta, where the minimum age to vote is set at 16.

In about two thirds of the countries surveyed, presenting oneself as a candidate in elections is generally possible from the age of 18. In the remaining countries, the minimum age is higher, ranging from 21 to 26 years of age.

The map only shows the minimum age for national elections. Information on local and European elections – and for federal States, on national ones – is available in section 5.2 of Youth Wiki’s national descriptions.