Resources
Timeline of Women's Suffrage
Unless otherwise indicated, the date signifies the year women were granted the right both to vote and to stand for election. The countries listed below currently have a Parliament or have had one at some point in their history.
1788 -- United States of America (to stand for election)
1893 -- New Zealand (to vote)
1902 -- Australia*
1906 -- Finland
1907 -- Norway (to stand for election)*
1913 -- Norway**
1915 -- Denmark, Iceland
1917 -- Canada (to vote)*, Netherlands (to stand for election)
1918 -- Austria, Canada (to vote)*, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland*, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Poland, Russian Federation, United Kingdom*
1919 -- Belarus, Belgium (to vote)*, Luxembourg, Netherlands (to vote), New Zealand (to stand for election), Sweden*, Ukraine
1920 -- Albania, Canada (to stand for election)*, Czech Republic, Slovakia, United States of America (to vote)
1921 -- Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium (to stand for election)*, Georgia, Lithuania, Sweden**
1924 -- Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Saint Lucia, Tajikistan
1927 -- Turkmenistan
1928 -- Ireland**, United Kingdom**
1929 -- Ecuador*, Romania*
1930 -- South Africa (Whites), Turkey (to vote)
1931 -- Chile*, Portugal*, Spain, Sri Lanka
1932 -- Maldives, Thailand, Uruguay
1934 -- Brazil, Cuba, Portugal*, Turkey (to stand for election)
1935 -- Myanmar (to vote)
1937 -- Philippines
1938 -- Bolivia*, Uzbekistan
1939 -- El Salvador (to vote)
1941 -- Panama*
1942 -- Dominican Republic
1944 -- Bulgaria, France, Jamaica
1945 -- Croatia, Guyana (to stand for election), Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Slovenia, Togo
1946 -- Cameroon, D.P.R. of Korea, Djibouti (to vote), Guatemala, Liberia,
Myanmar (to stand for election), Panama**, Romania**, The F.Y.R. of Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yugoslavia
1947 -- Argentina, Japan, Malta, Mexico (to vote), Pakistan, Singapore
1948 -- Belgium**, Israel, Niger, Republic of Korea, Seychelles, Suriname
1949 -- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile**, China, Costa Rica,
Syrian Arab Republic (to vote)*
1950 -- Barbados, Canada (to vote)**, Haiti, India
1951 -- Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Nepal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
1952 -- Bolivia**, Côte d'Ivoire, Greece, Lebanon
1953 -- Bhutan, Guyana (to vote), Mexico (to stand for election),
Syrian Arab Republic**
1954 -- Belize, Colombia, Ghana
1955 -- Cambodia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru
1956 -- Benin, Comoros, Egypt, Gabon, Mali, Mauritius, Somalia
1957 -- Malaysia, Zimbabwe (to vote)**
1958 -- Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Lao P.D.R., Nigeria (South)
1959 -- Madagascar, San Marino (to vote), Tunisia, United Republic of Tanzania
1960 -- Canada (to stand for election)**, Cyprus, Gambia, Tonga
1961 -- Bahamas*, Burundi, El Salvador (to stand for election), Malawi, Mauritania, Paraguay, Rwanda, Sierra Leone
1962 -- Algeria, Australia**, Monaco, Uganda, Zambia
1963 -- Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kenya, Morocco, Papua New Guinea (to stand for election)
1964 -- Bahamas**, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Papua New Guinea (to vote), Sudan
1965 -- Afghanistan, Bostwana, Lesotho
1967 -- Democratic Republic of the Congo (to vote), Ecuador**, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Yemen (D.P. R.)
1968 -- Nauru, Swaziland
1970 -- Andorra (to vote), Democratic Republic of the Congo (to stand for election), Yemen (Arab Republic)
1971 -- Switzerland
1972 -- Bangladesh
1973 -- Andorra (to stand for election), Bahrain, San Marino (to stand for election)
1974 -- Jordan, Solomon Islands
1975 -- Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Vanuatu
1976 -- Portugal**
1977 -- Guinea Bissau
1978 -- Nigeria (North), Republic of Moldova, Zimbabwe (to stand for election)
1979 -- Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Fed. States), Palau
1980 -- Iraq, Vanuatu
1984 -- Liechtenstein, South Africa (Coloreds and Indians)
1986 -- Central African Republic, Djibouti (to stand for election)
1989 -- Namibia
1990 -- Samoa
1993 -- Kazakhstan, Republic of Moldova
1994 -- South Africa (Blacks)
2005 -- Kuwait
2006 -- United Arab Emirates***
In Saudi Arabia, men were granted the right to vote for the first time in 2005, but women were explicitly denied the right of sufferage.
Reference to several dates for one country reflects the stages in the granting of rights.
* Right subject to conditions or restrictions
** Restrictions or conditions lifted
***UAE held their first elections for both men and women in Mid-December 2006. However, they may only vote for 20 seats in the UAE Federal National Council which serves only an advisory purpose. No elected officials have actual political power. Ranking government officials are appointed.
Data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union.