Over 50 nations which hosts 45% of global population votes in 2024: Data Premium

Many countries have a low score on the index that measures free and fair polls; India ranks somewhere in the middle

Over 50 countries in which close to 45% of the people in the world reside have gone to the polls or will go to the polls this year. This only includes those countries which conducted or will conduct national-level polls this year or are part of the nations which choose the European Parliament. Countries conducting local elections have been ignored. With the world’s population on the rise and many countries having elections this year, estimates indicate that 2024 could see the highest number of votes polled in history.

Most of these elections are concentrated in Asia, Europe, and Northern America. Some countries from Africa and South America also choosing their leaders this year. 

Map 1 | The map shows the countries which are going to the polls or have already completed elections this year. The countries in Europe that are only voting for the European Parliament and are not choosing their country’s government have been highlighted with a different colour.

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An assessment of how free and fair the elections are in these countries shows that democracy is on the retreat in many of them. Only a few countries showed improvement in this area. 

Chart 2 | The chart shows the free and fair election index, 2022 to measure the fairness of elections. The index score ranges from 0 (least free and fair) to 1 (most free and fair). The bigger the size of the circle in the chart, the higher the voting population of the country.

The free and fair election index is prepared by the V-Dem Institute based on expert assessments. It captures the extent to which election violence, government intimidation, fraud, large irregularities, and vote buying are absent in a country.