Big news from Britain, voting age set to 16 years, decision gets mixed response as…

There are many countries in the world where 16 and above youth have been given the right to vote.

New Delhi: The British government made a big announcement on Thursday, July 18, 2025. Britain has set 16 years the minimum age to cast vote in elections. It means that more youngsters and teenagers will be able to exercise their franchise. The government has described this move as historic while some have termed this as an attempt to disturb the electoral balance.

What is the population of Britain?

The population of Britain is around 68 million (about 6.8 crores), out of which the total number of youth aged 16 and above is more than 1.6 million (16 lakh). However, the government is looking at this scheme as the biggest expansion of voting rights after decades. Earlier in Britain, more than 50 years ago, it was decided to reduce the voting age at the national level from 21 years to 18 years.

In the preamble of this declaration, British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner wrote, “The declining trust in our institutions and democracy has now become a serious situation, but it is the responsibility of the government to change this situation and revive our democracy. Just as our previous generations have done.”

This plan of the British government includes tightening the rules for foreign donations to political parties and making the process of voter registration very easy.

Which countries have voting rights for 16-year-old youth?

It is worth noting that Britain will not be the first country in the world to give voting rights to 16-year-old youth. There are many countries in the world where 16 and above youth have been given the right to vote. Austria, Malta and Brazil are among the countries where 16-year-old youth can vote.

However, there are some countries in the world where 16-year-olds are given the right to participate only in certain elections, such as in Germany and Belgium. In these two countries, 16-year-olds can vote in the election of members of the European Parliament, but they are not given the right to vote in the federal elections of the country.