Women electors turned out more in 2024 LS polls, gender difference highest in Bihar

Election Commission data shows female voter turnout surpassing males in 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with state variations.

The Election Commission (EC) has released granular data for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections recently. The gap between male and female turnouts was narrowing in recent elections, before female electors’ turnout surpassed that of men in the 2019 and now, the 2024 elections. The difference between the turnout increased from 0.16 to 0.23 points from the 2019 to the 2024 elections.

Chart 1 shows the difference between male and female voter turnouts across Lok Sabha polls in percentage points

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In 15 out of the 28 major States and U.T.s, female turnout surpassed that of men, while in the rest, it was the opposite. The gender difference in turnout was highest in Bihar, even as the overall turnout was relatively low. Bihar apart, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand also experienced higher female turnout relative to males.

Chart 2 shows the male and female voter turnout in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in percentage.

Among States with high turnout, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, and West Bengal had higher female turnout compared to males. In States with moderate turnout, Odisha, Kerala, and Himachal Pradesh had a similar gender divide in turnout.

The situation was the opposite in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, and Rajasthan, where overall turnout was lower relative to the rest of the country, and male turnout surpassed that of females. In States with moderate turnout, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka had higher turnout among men. In others, the gender difference in turnout was not that high.