Military > Service age and obligation: Countries Compared

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Service Military service

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• Totals

COUNTRY	DESCRIPTION
Afghanistan	22 years of age; inductees are contracted into service for a 4-year term
Albania	19 years of age
Algeria	19-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (6 months basic training, 12 months civil projects)
Angola	17 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years plus time for training
Antigua and Barbuda	18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Argentina	18-24 years of age for voluntary military service (18-21 requires parental permission); no conscription
Armenia	18-27 years of age for voluntary or compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation
Australia	17 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription; women allowed to serve in Army combat units in non-combat support roles
Austria	18-35 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for male or female voluntary service; service obligation 7 months of training, followed by an 8-year reserve obligation
Azerbaijan	men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; length of military service is 18 months and 12 months for university graduates
Bahrain	17 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of age for NCOs, technicians, and cadets; no conscription
Bangladesh	16 years of age for voluntary military service; 17 years of age for officers (both with parental consent); conscription legally possible in emergency, but has never been implemented
Barbados	18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger requires parental consent); no conscription
Belarus	18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months
Belgium	18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription suspended
Belize	18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1
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
Bermuda	18-23 years of age; eligible men required to register for conscription as needed into the Bermuda Regiment, which is largely voluntary; term of service 39 months
Bhutan	18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Bolivia	18 years of age for 12-month compulsory military service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; 15-19 years of age for voluntary premilitary service, provides exemption from further military service
Bosnia and Herzegovina	17 years of age for voluntary military service in the Federation and in the Republika Srpska; conscription abolished January 2006; 4-month service obligation
Botswana	18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown
Brazil	21-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 9 to 12 months; 17-45 years of age for voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are "long-service" volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s when the Brazilian Army became the first army in South America to accept women into career ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve Corps
Brunei	18 years of age (est.) for voluntary military service; non-Malays are ineligible to serve
Bulgaria	18-27 years of age for voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 9 months; as of May 2006, 67% of the Bulgarian Army comprised of professional soldiers; conscription ended as of 1 January 2008; Air and Air Defense Forces and Naval Forces became fully professional at the end of 2006
Burkina Faso	18 years of age for compulsory military service; 20 years of age for voluntary military service
Burma	18 years of age for voluntary military service for both sexes; forced conscription of children, although officially prohibited, reportedly continues
Burundi	16 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; children as young as 10 years of age have been conscripted into the armed forces; the enrollment of children is still not prohibited
Cambodia	conscription law of October 2006 requires all males between 18-30 to register for military service; 18-month service obligation
Cameroon	18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; the government makes periodic calls for volunteers
Canada	17 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (with parental consent); 16 years of age for reserve and military college applicants; Canadian citizenship or permanent residence status required; maximum 34 years of age; service obligation 3-9 years
Cape Verde	18 years of age (est.) for selective compulsory military service; 14-month conscript service obligation
Central African Republic	18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 2-year conscript service obligation
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	18-45 years of age for voluntary male and female military service, although the right to compulsory recruitment is retained; service obligation - 12 months for Army, 22 months for Navy and Air Force
China	18-22 years of age for selective compulsory military service, with 24-month service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are volunteers); 18-19 years of age for women high school graduates who meet requirements for specific military jobs
Colombia	18-24 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; service obligation - 18 months
Congo, Republic of the	18 years of age for voluntary military service; women allowed to serve
Costa Rica	18 years of age
Cote d'Ivoire	18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service
Croatia	18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary service; 6-month conscript service obligation; full conversion to professional military service by 2010
Cuba	17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation; both sexes subject to military service
Cyprus	Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG): 18-50 years of age for compulsory military service for all Greek Cypriot males; 17 years of age for voluntary service; females are not conscripted; age of military eligibility 17 to 50; length of normal service is 25 months with a minimum of 3 months
Czech Republic	18-28 years of age for voluntary and 19-28 for compulsory military service
Democratic Republic of the Congo	18-45 years of age for military service
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
Djibouti	18 years of age for voluntary military service; 16-25 years of age for voluntary military training; no conscription
Dominican Republic	18 years of age for voluntary military service
East Timor	18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Ecuador	20 years of age for selective conscript military service; 12-month service obligation
Egypt	18-30 years of age for male conscript military service; service obligation 12-36 months, followed by a 9-year reserve obligation
El Salvador	18 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 16 years of age for voluntary service; service obligation - 8 months, but 11 months for officers and NCOs
Equatorial Guinea	18 years of age (est.) for compulsory military service
Eritrea	18-40 years of age for male and female voluntary and compulsory military service; 16-month conscript service obligation
Estonia	compulsory military service for men between 19 and 28; conscription lasts 11 months for junior NCOs and reserve platoon leaders; reserve officers and designated specialists have a different conscript service obligation; Estonia has committed to retaining conscription for men up to 2010 and, unlike Latvia and Lithuania, has no plan to transition to a contract armed forces; 17 years of age for volunteers; reserve commitment up to the age of 60
Ethiopia	18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; theoretically, no compulsory military service, but the military can conduct call-ups when necessary and compliance is compulsory
Fiji	18 years of age for voluntary military service; reserve obligation to age 45
Finland	18 years of age for male voluntary and compulsory national military and nonmilitary service; service obligation 6-12 months
France	17-40 years of age for male or female voluntary military service); no conscription; 12-month service obligation; women serve in noncombat military posts
Gabon	20 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service
Georgia	18 to 34 years of age for compulsory and voluntary active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months
Germany	18 years of age (conscripts serve a nine-month tour of compulsory military service)
Ghana	18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Greece	19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 17 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation - 1 year for all services; women are eligible for voluntary military service
Guatemala	all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are liable for military service; conscript service obligation varies from 12 to 24 months; women can serve as officers
Guinea	18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation
Guinea-Bissau	18 years of age for selective compulsory military service
Guyana	18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Haiti	18 years of age for voluntary recruitment into the police force
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; 6-month service obligation, with reserve obligation to age 50
India	16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women officers allowed in noncombat roles only
Indonesia	18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military service; 2-year conscript service obligation, with reserve obligation to age 45 (officers); Indonesian citizens only
Iran	19 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; 17 years of age for Law Enforcement Forces; 15 years of age for Basij Forces (Popular Mobilization Army); conscript military service obligation - 18 months; women exempt from military service
Iraq	18-49 years of age for voluntary military service
Ireland	17-25 years of age for male or female voluntary military service (17-27 years of age for the Naval Service); enlistees 16 years of age can be recruited for apprentice specialist positions; maximum obligation 12 years; 17-35 years of age for the Reserve Defense Forces; EU citizenship or 5-year residence in Ireland required
Israel	18 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are obligated to military service; conscript service obligation - 36 months for enlisted men, 21 months for enlisted women, 48 months for officers; reserve obligation to age 41-51 (men), 24 (women)
Italy	18-27 year of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005; women may serve in any military branch; 10-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 45 (Army and Air Force) or 39 (Navy)
Jamaica	18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent
Japan	18 years of age for voluntary military service
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.) for voluntary service, with a 9-year obligation
Kuwait	18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; reserve obligation to age 40 with 1 month annual training; women have served in police forces since 1999
Kyrgyzstan	18 years of age for compulsory military service
Laos	15 years of age for compulsory military service; minimum 18-month conscript service obligation
Latvia	18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2007; under current law, every citizen is entitled to serve in the armed forces for life
Lebanon	18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Lesotho	18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Liberia	16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Libya	17 years of age
Lithuania	19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for volunteers; 12-month conscript service obligation
Luxembourg	17-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; soldiers under 18 are not deployed into combat or with peacekeeping missions; no conscription; Luxembourg citizen or EU citizen with 3-year residence in Luxembourg
Madagascar	18-25 years of age for male-only compulsory military service; 18-month conscript service obligation (either military or equivalent civil service); 20-30 years of age for National Gendarmerie recruits (35 years of age for those with military experience)
Malawi	18 years of age for voluntary military service; standard obligation is 2 years of active duty and 5 years of reserve service
Malaysia	18 years of age for voluntary military service
Maldives	18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Mali	18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years
Malta	17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Mauritania	18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 2 years; majority of servicemen believed to be volunteers; service in Air Force and Navy is voluntary
Mexico	18 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary enlistment; conscripts serve only in the Army; Navy and Air Force service is all voluntary; women are eligible for voluntary military service
Moldova	18 years of age for compulsory military service; 12-month service obligation
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; women cannot be deployed overseas for military operations
Montenegro	compulsory national military service abolished August 2006
Morocco	18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months
Mozambique	18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation
Namibia	18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Nepal	18 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of age for military training; no conscription
Netherlands	20 years of age for an all-volunteer force
Netherlands Antilles	16 years of age for National Guard recruitment; no conscription
New Zealand	17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18; no conscription
Nicaragua	17 years of age for voluntary military service; tour of duty 18-36 months
Niger	17-21 years of age for voluntary military service; 2-year service term; women may serve in health care
Nigeria	18 years of age for voluntary military service
North Korea	17 years of age
Norway	18-44 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16 years of age in wartime; 17 years of age for male volunteers; 18 years of age for women; 12-month service obligation, in practice shortened to 8 to 9 months; although all males between ages of 18 and 44 are liable for service, in practice they are seldom called to duty after age 30; reserve obligation to age 35-60; 16 years of age for volunteers to the Home Guard, who serve 6-month duty tours
Oman	18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Pakistan	16 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age of 18; the Pakistani Air Force and Pakistani Navy have inducted their first female pilots and sailors
Papua New Guinea	16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
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 male and female military service; no conscription
Philippines	18-25 years of age (officers 21-29) for compulsory and voluntary military service; applicants must be single male or female Philippine citizens
Poland	17 years of age for male compulsory military service after January 1st of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscript service obligation shortened from 12 to 9 months in 2005; 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 noncommissioned officers
Portugal	18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military service ended in 2004; women serve in the armed forces, on naval ships since 1993, but are prohibited from serving in some combatant specialties; reserve obligation to age 35
Qatar	18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Reunion	18 years of age
Romania	18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription officially ended October 2006; all military inductees (including women) contract for an initial 5-year term of service; subsequent voluntary service contracts are for successive 3-year terms until the age of 36
Russia	18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age; service obligation - 1 year; reserve obligation to age 50; as of July 2008, a draft military strategy called for the draft to continue up to the year 2030
Rwanda	18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Saint Kitts and Nevis	18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
San Marino	16-55 for voluntary service in Voluntary Military Force
Sao Tome and Principe	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	19-35 years of age for compulsory military service; under a state of war or impending war, conscription can begin at age 16; conscription is to be abolished in 2010; 9-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 60 for men and 50 for women
Seychelles	18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent); no conscription
Sierra Leone	17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent); no conscription
Singapore	18-21 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; 2-year conscript service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 40 (enlisted) or age 50 (officers)
Slovakia	17-30 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2006; women are eligible to serve
Slovenia	17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2003
Somalia	18 years of age (est.)
South Africa	18 years of age for voluntary military service
South Korea	20-30 years of age for compulsory military service, with middle school education required; conscript service obligation - 24-28 months, depending on the military branch involved (to be reduced to 18 months beginning 2016); 18-26 years of age for voluntary military service; women, in service since 1950, admitted to 7 service branches, including infantry, but excluded from artillery, armor, anti-air, and chaplaincy corps; some 4,000 women serve as commissioned and noncommissioned officers, approx. 2.3% of all officers
Spain	20 years of age
Sri Lanka	18 years of age for voluntary military service
Sudan	18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation
Suriname	18 years of age (est.); recruitment is voluntary, with personnel drawn almost exclusively from the Creole community
Swaziland	18-30 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription
Sweden	19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation: 7-15 months (Navy), 8-12 months (Air Force); after completing initial service, soldiers have a reserve commitment until age 47
Switzerland	19 years of age for male compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; the Swiss Constitution states that "every Swiss male is obliged to do military service"; every Swiss male has to serve at least 260 days in the armed forces; conscripts receive 18 weeks of mandatory training, followed by seven 3-week intermittent recalls for training during the next 10 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
Taiwan	19-35 years of age for male compulsory military service; service obligation 14 months (reducing to 1 year in 2009) year; women may enlist; women in Air Force service are restricted to noncombat roles; reserve obligation to age 30 (Army); the Ministry of Defense has announced plans to implement an incremental voluntary enlistment system beginning 2010, with 10% fewer conscripts each year thereafter, although nonvolunteers will still be required to perform alternative service or go through 3-4 months of military training
Tajikistan	18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation
Tanzania	18 years of age for voluntary military service
Thailand	21 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; males are registered at 18 years of age; 2-year conscript service obligation
The Bahamas	18 years of age (est.); no conscription
The Gambia	18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Togo	18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military service; 2-year service obligation
Tonga	18 years of age (est.); no conscription
Trinidad and Tobago	18 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription
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	18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation
Uganda	18-26 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military duty; 18-30 years of age for professionals; 9-year service obligation; the government has stated that recruitment below 18 years of age could occur with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13 years shall be enrolled in the armed forces"; Ugandan citizenship and secondary education required
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 Arab Emirates	18 years of age (est.) for voluntary military service; 18 years of age for officers and women; no conscription
United Kingdom	16-33 years of age (officers 17-28) for voluntary military service (with parental consent under 18); women serve in military services, but are excluded from ground combat positions and some naval postings; must be citizen of the UK, Commonwealth, or Republic of Ireland; reservists serve a minimum of 3 years, to age 45 or 55; 16 years of age for voluntary military service by Nepalese citizens in the Brigade of the Gurkhas; 16-34 years of age for voluntary military service by Papua New Guinean citizens
United States	18 years of age (17 years of age with parental consent) for male and female voluntary service; maximum enlistment age 42 (Army), 27 (Air Force), 34 (Navy), 28 (Marines); service obligation 8 years, including 2-5 years active duty (Army), 2 years active (Navy), 4 years active (Air Force, Marines)
Uruguay	18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service; enlistment is voluntary in peacetime, but the government has the authority to conscript in emergencies
Uzbekistan	18 years of age for compulsory military service; 1-year conscript service obligation; moving toward a professional military, but conscription will continue; the military cannot accommodate everyone who wishes to enlist, and competition for entrance into the military is similar to the competition for admission to universities
Venezuela	18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 30-month conscript service obligation - all citizens 18-50 years old are obligated to register for military service
Vietnam	18 years of age (male) for compulsory military service; females may volunteer for active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (3 to 4 years in the navy); 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 years of age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Forces
Yemen	voluntary military service program authorized in 2001; 2-year service obligation
Zambia	18 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription
Zimbabwe	18-24 years of age for compulsory military service; women are eligible to serve

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