U.S. trails other nations in voter turnout

Early voting in critical U.S. states suggests a higher turnout than expected, reversing a trend that has persisted for years

VOTER TURNOUT (most recent elections in selected developed nations)

Country     Election year Voter turnout
Belgium         2014*     87.2%
Turkey          2015*     84.3%
Sweden          2014      82.6%
South Korea     2012      80.4%
Israel          2015      76.1%
France          2012      71.2%
Germany         2013      66.0%
Canada          2015      62.1%
Greece          2015*     62.1%
UK              2015      61.1%
Spain           2016      60.9%
Poland          2015      53.8%
U.S.            2012      53.6%
Japan           2014      52.0%
Switzerland     2015*     38.6%

During 2012 presidential election, 129 million votes were cast

* Voting compulsory but not necessarily enforced. One Swiss canton retains compulsory voting

Sources: Statista, Forbes