| Field Listing - Military service age and obligation

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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 - two 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; women allowed to serve in Army combat units in non-combat support roles (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 eight months to six (2005)
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 (2005)
Belgium | 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise approx. 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 four months (July 2004)

Botswana | 18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown (2001)

Brazil

21-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - nine 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 (2001)

Brunei | 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Bulgaria | 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 9 months; plans call for fully professionalizing the army by the end of 2007 when conscription will terminate; air force and navy will become fully professional by end of 2006 (2005)
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 approximately 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 three-year service obligation; 18 years of age for volunteers; no minimum age restriction for volunteers with consent from a guardian; women are subject to one year of compulsory military or civic service at age of 21 (2004)
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 (2004)
China | 18-22 years of age for compulsory military service, with 24-month service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are volunteers); 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 six-month service obligation; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary service (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; on-going transformation of military service into a fully professional, all-volunteer force no longer dependent on conscription began in January 2004 and is scheduled to be completed by 2007 (2005)
Denmark | 18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from four 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 (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; three-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 for all male citizens, with eight-month service obligation for conscripts and 11 months for sergeants and reserve officers; Estonia has committed to retaining conscription for men and women 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 (2005)

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 for voluntary military service; conscription ended in the 1990s; women serve in non-combat military posts (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 to 34 years of age for compulsory and voluntary active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005)
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 beginning 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, Air Force; 15 months for Navy; women are eligible for military service (2005)
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 (2005)
Guinea | 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 24 months (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 two-three 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 (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 - two 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; women not subject to conscription, but can volunteer to serve in non-combat military positions (2004)
Kazakhstan | 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two 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, but excluded from artillery, armor, anti-air, and chaplaincy corps (2005)

Kuwait | 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; since 1999 women have served in police forces (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; 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 (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 six months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005)
Madagascar | 18-50 years of age; conscript service obligation - 18 months (either military or equivalent civil service) (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 - two years (2004)
Malta | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
Mauritania | 18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - two 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 in land or air defense forces or police; a small portion of Mongolian land forces (2.5 percent) is comprised of contract soldiers (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 National Guard recruitment; no conscription (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 - two 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 noncommissioned officers (2004)

Portugal | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military service was ended in 2004; women serve in the armed forces, on naval ships since 1993, but are prohibited from serving in some combatant specialties (2005)
Qatar | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; land forces enlisted personnel are largely unprofessional foreign nationals (2005)
Reunion | 18 years of age (2004)

Romania

after 1 January 2007 conscription will no longer be basis for military service; all military inductees (including women) will be volunteers who contract for an initial five-year term of service; subsequent voluntary service contracts would be for successive three-year long terms; minimum age for voluntary military service is 18; currently minimum age is 20 for compulsory military service, 18 years of age in wartime; conscript service obligation is for 12 months (2004)

Russia

Russia has adopted a mixed conscript-contract force; 18-27 years of age; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age; length of compulsory military service is two years; plans as of November 2005 call for reduction in mandatory service to one year by 2008; 30% of Russian army personnel were contract servicemen at the end of 2005; planning calls for volunteer servicemen to compose 70% of armed forces by 2010, with the remaining servicemen consisting of conscripts; at the end of 2005, the Army had 40 all-volunteer permanent-readiness units, with another 20 permanent-readiness units to be formed in 2006; 88 MoD units have been designated as permanent readiness units and are expected to become all-volunteer by end 2007; these include most air force, naval, and nuclear arms units, as well as all airborne and naval infantry units, most motorized rifle brigades, and all special forces detachments (2005)

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 - two 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 (2004)
Slovakia | complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force went into effect at the beginning of 2006 after 140 years of mandatory army service; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years (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 noncombat 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 - three years (August 2004)
Suriname | 18 years of age (est.); no conscription
Swaziland | 18-30 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 age of 47 (2004)

Switzerland

the Swiss Constitution states that "every Swiss male is obliged 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 (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004)
Taiwan | 19-35 years of age for military service; service obligation 16 months (to be shortened to 12 months in 2008); women in Air Force service are restricted to noncombat roles (2005)
Tajikistan | 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two 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 - two years (2004)
Thailand | 21 years of age for compulsory military service; males are registered at 18 years of age; conscript service obligation - two 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 - two 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; women serve in military services, but are excluded from ground combat positions and some naval postings (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 - two years (three-four years in the navy) (2004)
Yemen | in May 2001, Yemen's National Defense Council abolished compulsory military service and authorized a voluntary program for military service (2004)
Zambia | 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Zimbabwe | 18 years of age (est.) (2004)

This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006