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Legal Age Requirements by Country: Driving, Voting, Drinking, Marriage

Published 2026-04-02

How old do you have to be to drive a car, vote for your leaders, buy a drink, or get married? The answer depends entirely on where you live. Legal age thresholds reflect a society's values about maturity, responsibility, and protection. Here is a comprehensive look at how age requirements differ across more than 20 countries.

Driving Age

The minimum driving age ranges from 15 to 18 across the world:

  • United States — Learner's permits at 15–16 (varies by state), full license at 16–17
  • Canada — Learner's permit at 16 in most provinces
  • United Kingdom — 17 for cars, 16 for mopeds
  • Germany — 18 for full license, 17 for "accompanied driving" (BF17)
  • France — 18, but "conduite accompagnée" allows supervised driving from 15
  • Netherlands — 18 (17 with supervision since 2011)
  • Australia — Learner's permit at 16 (most states), provisional at 17–18
  • Japan — 18 for cars, 16 for motorcycles
  • India — 18 for cars, 16 for motorcycles under 50cc
  • South Africa — 18 for a license, learner's permit at 17
  • Saudi Arabia — 18 (women allowed to drive since 2018)
  • New Zealand — Learner's license at 16
  • Brazil — 18
  • Russia — 18 for cars, 16 for motorcycles

Voting Age

Most countries set the voting age at 18, but there are notable exceptions:

  • 16: Austria, Brazil (optional), Ecuador, Argentina (optional), Scotland (local and Scottish Parliament elections), Cuba, Nicaragua
  • 17: Greece, Indonesia (or married), East Timor, Sudan
  • 18: Most countries worldwide including the US, UK, Germany, France, Japan, India, Australia, Canada, South Korea
  • 20: Previously Japan and South Korea (both have since lowered to 18)
  • 21: Singapore, Malaysia (lowered to 18 in 2021, implemented 2023), historically Kuwait

The global trend is toward lowering the voting age. Several countries including Germany, the UK, and New Zealand have active campaigns to extend suffrage to 16-year-olds.

Drinking Age

Alcohol purchase and consumption laws show enormous variation:

  • No minimum age for consumption: UK (at home, with parental consent from age 5), several African and Caribbean nations
  • 16 (purchase of beer/wine): Germany, Austria, Belgium, Portugal (was 16, raised to 18 in 2013)
  • 18: Most of Europe, China, Thailand, Mexico, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Russia
  • 19: South Korea, most Canadian provinces
  • 20: Japan, Iceland, Paraguay
  • 21: United States, Indonesia, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Palau
  • Total prohibition: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Sudan, Bangladesh (for Muslims), Pakistan (for Muslims), Brunei

Marriage Age

Marriage age laws are undergoing rapid reform worldwide:

  • 16 with consent: UK (England/Wales — Scotland raised to 18 in 2022), Australia, many US states
  • 18 without consent, 16 with consent: Canada, France, Netherlands
  • 18 absolute minimum: Germany (since 2017), Denmark (since 2017), Sweden
  • Different ages by gender: India (18 women, 21 men), Bangladesh (18 women, 21 men)
  • No enforced minimum: Some countries still allow child marriage despite legal minimums

UNICEF estimates that 12 million girls are married before age 18 each year globally. The trend is toward raising and enforcing minimum ages, with many countries eliminating exceptions for parental or judicial consent.

Age of Criminal Responsibility

When can a child be held criminally responsible? This varies dramatically:

  • 7–8: India (7), Singapore (7), Australia (10, under debate to raise)
  • 10: England and Wales, Switzerland, New Zealand (proposed increase to 14)
  • 12: Canada, Netherlands, Turkey, South Korea
  • 14: Germany, Austria, Italy, Japan, China, Russia
  • 15: Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden)
  • 18: Belgium, Luxembourg

Other Age Milestones

  • Age of consent: Ranges from 12 (Philippines — raised to 16 in 2022) to 21 (some jurisdictions). Most European countries set it at 14–16, most US states at 16–18.
  • Military service: Voluntary enlistment at 17 (US, UK with parental consent), 18 (most countries). Conscription varies: Israel at 18 (mandatory for most citizens), South Korea at 18–28.
  • Working age: Light work at 13–14, full employment at 15–16 in most developed countries. Some countries allow younger ages for agricultural or family work.
  • Social media minimum age: 13 in most countries (due to COPPA in the US). The EU's GDPR sets it at 16, though many countries exercise their option to lower it to 13.

Why Ages Differ So Much

Legal age thresholds reflect complex cultural, historical, religious, and practical considerations. Countries with lower driving ages (like the US) often have geographic reasons — rural areas require mobility. Countries with lower drinking ages (like Germany) may have different cultural relationships with alcohol. Marriage ages reflect ongoing tensions between tradition and human rights standards.

These numbers are not fixed — they change regularly as societies reassess the balance between youth autonomy and protection. Use our age calculator to check your exact age and see which milestones you have passed. For more on how age shapes legal rights, see our age milestones guide and retirement age comparison.