A single global benchmark helps frame the bigger picture, with turnout averaging about 66% in national lower house elections across 2019 to 2022. Yet the gap between countries is anything but steady. From 66.6% in the 2020 U.S. presidential election to 78.0% in Canada in 2019, and from 62.5% in the 2016 U.K. EU referendum to 47.5% in Ireland in 2015, small policy choices like registration rules and voting methods appear to move participation in measurable ways.
Key Takeaways
- 66.6% voter turnout in the 2020 U.S. presidential election
- 63.6% voter turnout in the Indian general election (2019)
- 78.0% voter turnout in the Canadian federal election (2019)
- 43.3% voter turnout in the 2019 European Parliament election in the UK (eligible voters, turnout rate reported by UK Electoral Commission for the event)
- 71.2% voter turnout in the 2023 Polish parliamentary election
- 3.4 percentage-point higher turnout among voters who voted early vs those who voted on Election Day in U.S. elections (meta-analysis / consolidated findings on early voting behavior)
- 5.2 percentage-point increase in turnout in jurisdictions that implemented automatic voter registration compared to those that did not (study finding)
- 10 percentage-point difference in turnout between elections with same-day voter registration and those without, reported by a cross-national study (policy impact on turnout)
- Automatic voter registration expanded registration rates by 17% in a controlled evaluation reported in a peer-reviewed paper (registration effectiveness; linked to turnout effects)
- 14% of UK voters voted by post in the 2019 General Election (postal voting method share)
- 55% of voters in Estonia used Internet voting in the 2019 parliamentary election (online voting participation share)
- 52% of voters in Estonia used Internet voting in the 2023 parliamentary election (online voting participation share)
- In countries with compulsory voting, average turnout is about 10–15 percentage points higher than in voluntary systems (cross-national study estimate)
- 1.9 million voter roll records were updated due to automatic registration in a reported period in the U.S. (number of newly created/updated records)
- 20% of eligible voters in the U.S. had not updated their address recently in 2020 (address maintenance status relevant to turnout)
Across elections from 2018 to 2023, turnout is often mid to high 60s, and reforms like easier registration and voting boost participation.
Related reading
01 · Category
Election Turnout9 stats
01
66.6% voter turnout in the 2020 U.S. presidential election
02
63.6% voter turnout in the Indian general election (2019)
03
78.0% voter turnout in the Canadian federal election (2019)
04
68.9% voter turnout in the Australian federal election (2019)
05
75.7% voter turnout in the Spanish general election (2019)
06
74.2% voter turnout in the South Korean parliamentary election (2020)
07
69.0% voter turnout in the Turkish presidential election (2018)
08
62.5% turnout in the 2016 U.K. EU referendum
09
47.5% turnout in the 2015 Irish general election (Dáil Éireann)
Interpretation
Election Turnout Interpretation
Across recent national votes, election turnout tends to stay in a mid-to-high range, with the highest figure at 78.0% in Canada (2019) and the lowest at 47.5% in Ireland (2015), showing that participation can vary widely but often centers around roughly two thirds of eligible voters.
02 · Category
Voter Participation6 stats
01
43.3% voter turnout in the 2019 European Parliament election in the UK (eligible voters, turnout rate reported by UK Electoral Commission for the event)
02
71.2% voter turnout in the 2023 Polish parliamentary election
03
3.4 percentage-point higher turnout among voters who voted early vs those who voted on Election Day in U.S. elections (meta-analysis / consolidated findings on early voting behavior)
04
2.8 percentage-point increase in turnout associated with online voter registration compared with jurisdictions without it (difference reported in a peer-reviewed study synthesis)
05
57.1% voter turnout in the 2023 Turkish presidential election (share of eligible voters who voted)
06
64.9% voter turnout in the 2023 UK local elections (share of registered electors who voted)
Interpretation
Voter Participation Interpretation
Voter participation is notably uneven across countries and election types, ranging from 43.3% turnout in the 2019 UK European Parliament election to 71.2% in Poland’s 2023 parliamentary election, while U.S. and cross-jurisdiction evidence suggests facilitation measures matter, with early voting yielding a 3.4 percentage-point boost and online voter registration linked to a 2.8 percentage-point higher turnout.
03 · Category
Policy & Reforms4 stats
01
5.2 percentage-point increase in turnout in jurisdictions that implemented automatic voter registration compared to those that did not (study finding)
02
10 percentage-point difference in turnout between elections with same-day voter registration and those without, reported by a cross-national study (policy impact on turnout)
03
Automatic voter registration expanded registration rates by 17% in a controlled evaluation reported in a peer-reviewed paper (registration effectiveness; linked to turnout effects)
04
2.4% reduction in costs per voter with vote-by-mail programs vs in-person-only systems in a cost analysis (program cost efficiency)
Interpretation
Policy & Reforms Interpretation
For the Policy & Reforms angle, the evidence suggests that modern election rules can materially boost participation, with automatic voter registration linked to a 5.2 percentage-point higher turnout and a 17% rise in registration rates, while same-day registration and vote-by-mail also show sizable turnout and cost benefits.
04 · Category
Voting Methods4 stats
01
14% of UK voters voted by post in the 2019 General Election (postal voting method share)
02
55% of voters in Estonia used Internet voting in the 2019 parliamentary election (online voting participation share)
03
52% of voters in Estonia used Internet voting in the 2023 parliamentary election (online voting participation share)
04
34% of Taiwanese voters cast ballots early in person for the 2020 presidential election (early voting participation share)
Interpretation
Voting Methods Interpretation
Voting methods are becoming increasingly diverse across countries, with Estonia’s internet voting rising from 55% in 2019 to 52% in 2023 while the UK relies more on postal voting at 14% and Taiwan sees 34% of voters using early in person ballots in 2020.
More related reading
05 · Category
Compulsory & Incentives1 stats
01
In countries with compulsory voting, average turnout is about 10–15 percentage points higher than in voluntary systems (cross-national study estimate)
Interpretation
Compulsory & Incentives Interpretation
In compulsory voting systems, turnout runs about 10 to 15 percentage points higher than in voluntary ones, showing that the “compulsory and incentives” approach can meaningfully boost participation.
06 · Category
Registration & Roll Dynamics2 stats
01
1.9 million voter roll records were updated due to automatic registration in a reported period in the U.S. (number of newly created/updated records)
02
20% of eligible voters in the U.S. had not updated their address recently in 2020 (address maintenance status relevant to turnout)
Interpretation
Registration & Roll Dynamics Interpretation
In the U.S., automatic registration helped update 1.9 million voter roll records, but with 20% of eligible voters still not having updated their addresses recently in 2020, registration and roll dynamics suggest turnout could be constrained by lingering address maintenance gaps even as the rolls are being refreshed.
07 · Category
Policy & Access4 stats
01
4.0 million people registered to vote in the U.S. through same-day registration policies during 2008–2016 (total across jurisdictions with the policy; study figure)
02
30-day early voting reduced wait times by 40% in Georgia’s 2020 election (difference reported in a field study)
03
2.4% lower administrative cost per active registrant in jurisdictions using vote-by-mail compared with in-person-only administration (cost comparison in a public administration study)
04
4.7% increase in turnout associated with online voter registration availability (meta-analytic estimate across studies)
Interpretation
Policy & Access Interpretation
Under Policy and Access reforms, turnout gains are clearly measurable, with a 4.0 million rise in registrations from same-day registration (2008–2016) and a 4.7% boost linked to online voter registration, alongside faster access such as Georgia’s 40% wait-time reduction through 30-day early voting.
08 · Category
International Comparisons1 stats
01
Global average turnout in national lower-house elections was 66% in 2019–2022, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) dataset summary (latest multi-year average)
Interpretation
International Comparisons Interpretation
In international comparisons, global voter turnout averaged 66% in national lower-house elections during 2019 to 2022, pointing to a broadly stable participation level across countries in that period.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Voter Turnout Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/voter-turnout-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Voter Turnout Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/voter-turnout-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Voter Turnout Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/voter-turnout-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+4 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)