| Countries (A to Z) |
Description |
| Afghanistan |
22 years of age |
| Albania |
19 years of age |
| Armenia |
18 to 27 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service |
| Austria |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for voluntary service; from 2007, at the earliest, compulsory military service obligation will be reduced from 8 months to 6 |
| Belarus |
18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months |
| Benin |
21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; in practice, volunteers may be taken at the age of 18; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months |
| Bolivia |
18 years of age for voluntary military service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; one estimate holds that 40% of the armed forces are under the age of 18, with 50% of those under the age of 16; conscript tour of duty - 12 months |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
18 years of age for compulsory military service in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina; 16 years of age in times of war; 18 years of age for Republika Srpska; 17 years of age for voluntary military service in the Federation and in the Republika Srpska; by law, military obligations cover all healthy men between the ages of 18 and 60, and all women between the ages of 18 and 55; service obligation is 4 months |
| Brunei |
18 years of age (est.) |
| Bulgaria |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 9 months |
| Burma |
18 years of age for voluntary military service for both sexes |
| Cambodia |
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service for all males; conscription law passed September 2004; service obligation is 18 months |
| Chad |
20 years of age for conscripts, with 3-year service obligation; 18 years of age for volunteers; no minimum age restriction for volunteers with consent from a guardian; women are subject to 1 year of compulsory military or civic service at age of 21 |
| Chile |
all male citizens 18-45 are obligated to perform military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy and Air Force |
| China |
18-22 years of age for compulsory military service, with 24-month service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service; 17 years of age for women who meet requirements for specific military jobs |
| Colombia |
18-24 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; service obligation - 18 months |
| Costa Rica |
18 years of age |
| Croatia |
18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 6-month service obligation; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary service |
| Cuba |
17 years of age; both sexes are eligible for military service |
| Cyprus |
18 years of age |
| Czech Republic |
18-50 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; service obligation - 12 months; conscription due to end by 2005 |
| Côte d'Ivoire |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months |
| Denmark |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from 4 to 12 months according to specialization; reservists are assigned to mobilization units following completion of their conscript service; women eligible to volunteer for military service |
| Ecuador |
20 years of age for conscript military service; 12-month service obligation |
| Equatorial Guinea |
18 years of age (est.) |
| Eritrea |
18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 16 months |
| Estonia |
18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 11-month service obligation; Estonia has committed to retaining conscription for men and women up to 2010; 17 years of age for volunteers |
| Finland |
18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service |
| Georgia |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months |
| Germany |
18 years of age (conscripts serve a nine-month tour of compulsory military service) |
| Guatemala |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months |
| Guinea |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 24 months |
| Honduras |
18 years of age for voluntary 2 to 3-year military service |
| Hong Kong |
18 years of age |
| Hungary |
18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in June 2004 |
| Iran |
18 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; soldiers as young as 9 were recruited extensively during the Iran-Iraq War; conscript service obligation - 18 months |
| Iraq |
18 years of age; the Iraqi Interim Government is creating a new professional Iraqi military force of men aged 18 to 40 to defend Iraq from external threats and the current insurgency |
| Israel |
17 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript service obligation - 36 months for men, 21 months for women |
| Italy |
18 years of age |
| Jordan |
17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription at age 18 was suspended in 1999, although all males under age 37 are required to register; women not subject to conscription, but can volunteer to serve in non-combat military positions |
| Kazakhstan |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years; minimum age for volunteers NA |
| Kenya |
18 years of age (est.) |
| Korea, North |
17 years of age |
| Korea, South |
20-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 24-28 months, depending on the military branch involved; 18 years of age for voluntary military service |
| Laos |
15 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - minimum 18 months |
| Latvia |
19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers; plans are to phase out conscription, tentatively moving to an all-professional force by 2007; under current law, every citizen is entitled to serve in the armed forces for life |
| Lebanon |
18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months |
| Libya |
17 years of age |
| Lithuania |
19-45 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers |
| Luxembourg |
17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers under 18 are not deployed into combat or with peacekeeping missions |
| Macedonia, Republic of |
18 years of age for voluntary military service, tour of conscript duty is 6 months; 17 years of age for voluntary service |
| Madagascar |
18-50 years of age; conscript service obligation - 18 months (either military or equivalent civil service) |
| Maldives |
18 years of age (est.) |
| Mali |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years |
| Mauritania |
18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 2 years |
| Mexico |
18 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary enlistment |
| Moldova |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; national service obligation - 12 months |
| Mongolia |
18-25 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months in land or air defense forces or police; a small portion of Mongolian land forces (2.5 percent) is comprised of contract soldiers |
| Morocco |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months |
| Netherlands |
20 years of age for an all-volunteer force |
| Netherlands Antilles |
16 years of age for National Guard recruitment; no conscription |
| Niger |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years |
| Norway |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age in wartime; 17 years of age for male volunteers; 18 years of age for women; 16 years of age for volunteers to the Home Guard; conscript service obligation - 12 months |
| Paraguay |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy |
| Peru |
18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 1999 |
| Poland |
17 years of age for compulsory military service after January 1st of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; in 2005 Poland plans to shorten the length of conscript service obligation from 12 to 9 months; by 2008, plans call for at least 60% of military personnel to be volunteers; only soldiers who have completed their conscript service are allowed to volunteer for professional service; as of April 2004 women are only allowed to serve as officers and non-commissioned officers |
| Portugal |
18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military service was ended in September 2004 |
| Romania |
20 years of age for compulsory military service, 18 in wartime; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service |
| Russia |
18-27 years of age; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age; 200,000 conscripts were inducted into the armed forces in 2003; length of compulsory military service is 2 years; plans as of August 2004 call for reduction in mandatory service to 1 year by 2008; 2003 planning calls for volunteer servicemen to compose 70% of armed forces by 2010, with the remaining servicemen consisting of conscripts |
| Réunion |
18 years of age |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis |
18 years of age (est.) |
| Saudi Arabia |
18 years of age (est.); no conscription |
| Senegal |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years |
| Serbia and Montenegro |
19 years of age (nine months compulsory service) |
| Singapore |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation reduced to 24 months beginning December 2004 |
| Slovakia |
18 years of age (conscripts serve nine months of basic military service; term of service will be reduced to six months effective 2004) complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force is planned for 1 January 2007; 82% of Slovak armed forces will be volunteers by December 2004; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years; 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscripts serve 9 months of basic military service; service obligation reduced to 6 months effective 2004 |
| Slovenia |
17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2003 |
| South Africa |
18 years of age for voluntary military service |
| Spain |
20 years of age |
| Sudan |
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 3 years |
| Sweden |
19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 7-17 months depending on conscript role; after completing initial service, soldiers have a reserve commitment until age of 47 |
| Switzerland |
19 years of age for compulsory military service; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscripts receive 15 weeks of compulsory training, followed by 10 intermittent recalls for training over the next 22 years |
| Syria |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve |
| São Tomé and Príncipe |
18 years of age (est.) |
| Tajikistan |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years |
| Tanzania |
15 years of age for voluntary military service; 18 years of age for compulsory military service upon graduation from secondary school; conscript service obligation - 2 years |
| Thailand |
21 years of age for compulsory military service; males are registered at 18 years of age; conscript service obligation - 2 years; 18 years of age for voluntary military service |
| Tonga |
18 years of age (est.) |
| Tunisia |
20 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service |
| Turkey |
20 years of age |
| Turkmenistan |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years |
| Ukraine |
18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months for Army and Air Force, 24 months for Navy |
| United Kingdom |
16 years of age for voluntary military service |
| United States |
18 years of age |
| Uzbekistan |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months |
| Venezuela |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months |
| Vietnam |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years |
| Yemen |
in May 2001, Yemen's National Defense Council abolished compulsory military service and authorized a voluntary program for military service |
| Zambia |
18 years of age (est.) |
| Zimbabwe |
18 years of age (est.) |
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