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  Field Listing - Military service age and obligation


Country
Military service age and obligation (years of age)
Afghanistan 22 years of age; inductees are contracted into service for a 4-year term (2005)
Albania 19 years of age (2004)
Algeria 19-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (October 2003)
Angola 17 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years plus time for training (2001)
Antigua and Barbuda 18 years of age (est.); no conscript military service (2001)
Argentina 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
Armenia 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (May 2004)
Australia 16 years of age for voluntary service (2001)
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 (June 2004)
Azerbaijan 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; law passed December 2001 raises maximum conscription age from 28 to 35 (December 2001)
Bahamas, The 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Bahrain 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Bangladesh 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2005)
Barbados 18 years of age for voluntary military service; volunteers at earlier age with parental consent; no conscription (2001)
Belarus 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (May 2004)
Belgium 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise some 7% of the Belgian armed forces (2001)
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 (2001)
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 (2004)
Bhutan 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
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 (2002)
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 (July 2004)
Botswana 18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown (2001)
Brazil 19 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 17 years of age for voluntary service (2001)
Brunei 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Bulgaria 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 9 months (2004)
Burkina Faso 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 20 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Burma 18 years of age for voluntary military service for both sexes (May 2002)
Burundi 16 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
Cambodia 18-30 years of age for compulsory military service for all males; conscription law passed September 2004; service obligation is 18 months (September 2004)
Cameroon 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (1999)
Canada 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise some 11% of Canada's armed forces (2001)
Central African Republic 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is two years (2005)
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 (2004)
Chile 18 years of age for compulsory military service; all citizens 18-45 are obligated to perform military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy and Air Force (2004)
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 (2004)
Colombia 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 24 months (2004)
Congo, Republic of the 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Costa Rica 18 years of age (2004)
Cote d'Ivoire 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)
Croatia 18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 6-month service obligation; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary service; Croatian Military Police planning to end conscription in 2005 (December 2004)
Cuba 17 years of age; both sexes are eligible for military service (2004)
Cyprus 18 years of age (2004)
Czech Republic 18-50 years of age for voluntary military service; military service transformed into a fully professional, all-volunteer force no longer dependent on conscription beginning in January 2004 (2005)
Denmark 18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer 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 (2004)
Djibouti 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Dominican Republic 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
East Timor 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Ecuador 20 years of age for conscript military service; 12-month service obligation (2004)
Egypt 18 years of age for conscript military service; 3-year service obligation (2001)
El Salvador 18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 12-month service obligation; 16 years of age for volunteers (2002)
Equatorial Guinea 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Eritrea 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 16 months (2004)
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 (2004)
Ethiopia 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
Fiji 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Finland 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (October 2004)
France 17 years of age with consent for voluntary military service (2001)
Gabon 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
Gambia, The 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
Georgia 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)
Germany 18 years of age (conscripts serve a nine-month tour of compulsory military service) (2004)
Ghana 18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service (2001)
Greece 18 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment after reaching January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 17 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation - 12 months for the Army and Air Force, 15 months for Navy (2005)
Guatemala 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004)
Guinea 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
Guinea-Bissau 18 years of age for compulsory military service (2001)
Haiti 18 years of age for voluntary recruitment into the police force (2001)
Honduras 18 years of age for voluntary 2-3 year military service (2004)
Hong Kong 18 years of age (2004)
Hungary 18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in June 2004 (June 2004)
India 16 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Indonesia 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2002)
Iran 18 years of age for 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 (2004)
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 (2004)
Ireland 17 years of age for voluntary military service; enlistees under the age of 17 can be recruited for specialist positions (2001)
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 (2004)
Italy 18 years of age (2004)
Jamaica 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
Japan 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
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 (2004)
Kazakhstan 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years; minimum age for volunteers NA (2004)
Kenya 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Korea, North 17 years of age (2004)
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; some 4,000 women serve as commissioned and noncommissioned officers, approx. 2.3% of all officers; women, in service since 1950, are admitted to seven service branches, including infantry; excluded from artillery, armor, anti-air, and chaplaincy corps (2005)
Kuwait 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
Kyrgyzstan 18 years of age for compulsory military service (2001)
Laos 15 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - minimum 18 months (2004)
Latvia 19 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers; Latvia plans to phase out conscription, tentatively moving to an all-professional force by 2007 (August 2004)
Lebanon 18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004)
Lesotho 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Liberia 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
Libya 17 years of age (2004)
Lithuania 19-45 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers (2004)
Luxembourg a 1967 law made the Army an all-volunteer force; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers under 18 are not deployed into combat or with peacekeeping missions (2004)
Macedonia conscription to be phased out by 2007; current tour of conscript duty is 6 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (January 2005)
Madagascar 18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)
Malawi 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
Malaysia 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005)
Maldives 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Mali 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
Malta 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
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 (April 2005)
Mexico 18 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary enlistment (2004)
Moldova 18 years of age for compulsory military service; national service obligation - 12 months (2004)
Mongolia 18-25 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004)
Morocco 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)
Namibia 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Nepal 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Netherlands 20 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2004)
Netherlands Antilles 16 years of age for military recruitment; no conscription (July 2002)
New Zealand 17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18 (2001)
Nicaragua 17 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Niger 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
Nigeria 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
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 (2004)
Oman 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Pakistan 16 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age of 18 (2001)
Papua New Guinea 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Paraguay 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy (2004)
Peru 18 years of age for compulsory military service (1999)
Philippines 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
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 (April 2004)
Portugal 18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military service was ended in 2004 (January 2005)
Qatar 18 years of age for voluntary military service; Land Force's enlisted personnel are largely nonprofessional foreign nationals (2005)
Reunion 18 years of age (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 (2004)
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 (August 2004)
Rwanda 16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
Saint Kitts and Nevis 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Sao Tome and Principe 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Saudi Arabia 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2004)
Senegal 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
Serbia and Montenegro 19 years of age (nine months compulsory service) (2004)
Seychelles 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Sierra Leone 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
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 (December 2004)
Slovakia complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force is planned for 1 January 2007; 82% of Slovak armed forces were volunteers as of January 2005; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years; 18 years of age for compulsory military service (January 2005)
Slovenia 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2003 (2004)
Somalia 18 years of age (est.) (2001)
South Africa 18 years of age for voluntary military service; women have a long history of military service in non-combat roles - dating back to World War I (2004)
Spain 20 years of age (2004)
Sri Lanka 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Sudan 18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 3 years (August 2004)
Suriname 18 years of age (est.); no conscription
Swaziland 18 years of age for voluntary military service; both sexes are eligible for military service (2005)
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 the age of 47 (2004)
Switzerland the Swiss Confederation states that "every Swiss male is obligated to do military service"; every Swiss male has to serve for at least 260 days in the armed forces; 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; women are accepted on a voluntary basis, but are not drafted (2005)
Syria 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004)
Taiwan 19-40 years of age for military service (being lowered to 35 years of age in July 2005); service obligation 22 months (being shortened to 18 months in July 2005 and 12 months in 2008) (2005)
Tajikistan 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
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 (2004)
Thailand 21 years of age for compulsory military service; males are registered at 18 years of age; conscript service obliation - 2 years; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004)
Togo 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (2001)
Tonga 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Trinidad and Tobago 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
Tunisia 20 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004)
Turkey 20 years of age (2004)
Turkmenistan 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
Uganda 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military duty; the government has stated that recruitment below that age could occur with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13 years shall be enrolled in the armed forces"
Ukraine 18-27 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months for Army and Air Force, 24 months for Navy (2004)
United Arab Emirates 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
United Kingdom 16 years of age for voluntary military service (January 2004)
United States 18 years of age (2004)
Uruguay 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (2001)
Uzbekistan 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004)
Venezuela 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004)
Vietnam 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
Yemen 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
Zambia 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Zimbabwe 18 years of age (est.) (2004)

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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