In 2024, approximately 1.6 billion ballots were cast worldwide, across a year in which 74 national elections took place in 62 countries. That is equivalent to an average of 51 ballots every second, throughout the entire year, making 2024 a historic year for global elections. Despite the historic number of elections, average voter turnout was approximately 61% across the elections analysed by International IDEA. In South Africa, turnout was 58.64%, down from 66.05% in 2019.
Resources
Fact-a-Day
November 3, 2026
