ISLAMABAD: On the occasion of National Voters Day, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) presented an in-depth analysis of voter participation in the 2024 General Election. The report, titled GE-2024: Brief on Assessing Demographic and Gender Turnout Dynamics, not only compared voter trends with previous elections but also provided a detailed review of male and female voter participation.
The 2024 election saw a record turnout, with 61.28 million voters casting their ballots, the highest in any general election. However, the voter turnout percentage declined to 48% in 2024, down from 52% in 2018, despite the electoral rolls increasing by 22.5 million voters between the two elections.
Notably, the gender gap in voter registration narrowed during the 2024 election. Of the 22.5 million new voters added to the rolls, 12.5 million were women, surpassing the 10 million new male voters. However, while female voter turnout stood at 42.7%, still lower than the 51.8% turnout for men, the gender gap shrank from 10 percentage points in 2018 to 9 percentage points in 2024.
The report also highlighted a higher voter turnout in rural constituencies (50.1%) compared to urban constituencies (43.8%), with nearly twice as many voters from rural areas (40.6 million) participating as those from urban areas (20.5 million).
The total votes cast in the 2024 election showed a significant upward trend over previous elections. In GE-2002, 30.01 million votes were cast, rising by 18% in 2008 to 35.64 million votes. Voter participation increased by 32% in GE-2013 and by 17% in 2018. The 2024 election saw a more modest 12% rise, bringing the total to 61.28 million votes, a sharp increase from the 30.01 million votes cast in GE-2002.
Despite the rise in the absolute number of votes, voter turnout has fluctuated over the years. In GE-2002, overall turnout was 41.7%, which increased to 44.4% in GE-2008 and peaked at 55.5% in GE-2013.
In GE-2018, male voters cast 32.9 million votes, comprising 60.2% of the total votes. In 2024, while the number of male votes increased to 34.5 million, their share of total votes declined to 58.6%. Female voters, on the other hand, cast 21.7 million votes in 2018, representing 39.8% of the total, and their participation rose to 24.4 million in 2024, increasing their share to 41.4%.
As a result, the gender gap in votes cast narrowed from 11.19 million (20.4%) in 2018 to 10.12 million (16.5%) in 2024, reflecting a 1.1 million decrease in the gender gap.
Despite this narrowing gender gap in votes, overall voter turnout declined. Male voter turnout fell from 56.1% in 2018 to 51.8% in 2024, while female voter turnout also dropped, from 46.9% in 2018 to 42.7% in 2024.
This decline in overall voter engagement, particularly among women, has affected the total turnout levels, despite a reduction in the gender gap in votes. The ongoing disparity in male and female participation remains a significant issue, with the lower female turnout continuing to impact the overall voter engagement in the country.
