List of enlistment age by country

These are the enlistment ages for military service by country, according to the online CIA publication The World Factbook .

Contents: 

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z

A

•   Albania – 19 (voluntary; age lowered to 18 during wartime)
•   Algeria – 19 (compulsory)
•   Angola – 18 (voluntary – men), 20 (voluntary – women), 20 (compulsory – men)
•   Antigua and Barbuda – 18 (voluntary)
•   Argentina – 18 (voluntary during peacetime; compulsory for men during wartime)
•   Armenia – 18 (compulsory)
•   Australia – 18 (voluntary; age 17 with parental consent)
•   Austria – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
•   Azerbaijan – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
•   Afghanistan - 18 (voluntary) 20 (compulsory)

B

•   Bahamas – 18 (voluntary)
•   Bahrain – 18 (voluntary)
•   Bangladesh – 16 (voluntary)
•   Barbados – 18 (voluntary)
•   Belarus – 18 (compulsory)
•   Belgium – 18 (voluntary)
•   Belize – 18 (voluntary)
•   Benin – 18 (compulsory)
•   Bhutan – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory militia training)
•   Bolivia – 18 (voluntary)
•   Bosnia and Herzegovina – 18 (voluntary)
•   Botswana – 18 (voluntary)
•   Brazil – 18 (compulsory)
•   Brunei – 17 (voluntary)
•   Bulgaria – 18 (voluntary)
•   Burkina Faso – 18 (voluntary)
•   Burundi – 18 (voluntary)

C

•   Cape Verde – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
•   Cambodia – 18 (compulsory)
•   Cameroon – 18 (voluntary)
•   Canada – 16.5 (voluntary; volunteers can join the Reserves and enter the Military Colleges at age 16.5, or join the regular forces at age 17 with parental consent)
•   Central African Republic – 18 (voluntary)
•   Chad – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory – men), 21 (compulsory – women)
•   Chile – 18 (voluntary)
•   People's Republic of China – 18 (compulsory; only registration is compulsory. People do not have to serve in the military)
•   Colombia – 18 (compulsory)
•   Comoros – 18 (voluntary)
•   Democratic Republic of the Congo – 18 (compulsory)
•   Republic of the Congo – 18 (voluntary)
•   Côte d'Ivoire – 18 (compulsory)
•   Croatia – 18 (voluntary; will be compulsory after 2025)
•   Cuba – 17 (compulsory)
•   Cyprus – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory for Greek Cypriots only)
•   Czech Republic – 18 (voluntary)

D

•   Denmark – 18 (compulsory)
•   Djibouti – 18 (voluntary)
•   Dominican Republic – 18 (voluntary)

E

•   Ecuador – 18 (compulsory; conscription is currently suspended until further notice)
•   Egypt – 18 (compulsory)
•   El Salvador – 18 (compulsory)
•   Equatorial Guinea – 18 (compulsory)
•   Eritrea – 18 (compulsory)
•   Estonia – 18 (compulsory)
•   Eswatini (Swaziland) – 18 (voluntary)
•   Ethiopia – 18 (voluntary)

F

•   Fiji – 18 (voluntary)
•   Finland – 18 (compulsory)
•   France – 18 (voluntary)

G

•   Gabon – 20 (voluntary).
•   Gambia – 18 (compulsory).
•   Georgia – 18 (compulsory).
•   Germany – 18 (compulsory; conscription not enforced(17 with parental consent)
•   Ghana – 18 (voluntary).
•   Greece – 18 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory; conscription age can be lowered to 17 during wartime).
•   Guatemala – 17 (compulsory).
•   Guinea – 18 (voluntary).
•   Guinea-Bissau – 16 (voluntary, with parental consent), 18 (compulsory).
•   Guyana – 18 (voluntary).

H

•   Honduras – 18 (voluntary)
•   Hungary – 18 (voluntary)
•   Hezbollah - 18 (compulsory)

I

•   India – 16.5 (voluntary, for National Defense Academy), 17.5 (voluntary, for all others on the Agnipath scheme)
•   Indonesia – 18 (voluntary)
•   Iran – 18 (compulsory)
•   Iraq – 18 (voluntary)
•   Ireland – 18 (voluntary)
•   Israel – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory for Jews and Druze only)
•   Italy – 18 (voluntary)

J

•   Jamaica – 17 (voluntary)
•   Japan – 18 (voluntary)
•   Jordan – 17 (voluntary)

K

•   Kazakhstan – 18 (compulsory)
•   Kenya – 18 (voluntary)
•   North Korea – 17 (compulsory)
•   South Korea – 18 (compulsory)
•   Kuwait – 17 (voluntary)
•   Kyrgyzstan – 18 (compulsory), 19 (voluntary – women)

L

•   Laos – 18 (compulsory)
•   Latvia – 18 (voluntary)
•   Lebanon – 17 (voluntary)
•   Lesotho – 18 (voluntary)
•   Liberia – 18 (voluntary)
•   Libya – 18 (compulsory)
•   Lithuania – 18 (compulsory)
•   Luxembourg – 18 (voluntary)
•   Liberland - 18 (voluntary)

M

•   Madagascar – 18 (compulsory)
•   Malawi – 18 (voluntary)
•   Malaysia – 18 (voluntary)
•   Maldives – 18 (voluntary)
•   Mali – 18 (compulsory)
•   Malta – 18 (voluntary)
•   Mauritania – 18 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory, conscription not enforced)
•   Mexico – 18 (compulsory)
•   Moldova – 18 (compulsory)
•   Mongolia – 18 (compulsory)
•   Montenegro – 18 (voluntary)
•   Morocco – 18 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory, reintroduced in 2019); both sexes are obligated to military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months
•   Mozambique – 18 (compulsory)
•   Myanmar – 18 (voluntary)

N

•   Namibia – 18 (voluntary)
•     Nepal – 18 (voluntary)
•   Netherlands – 17 (voluntary)
•   New Zealand – 17 (voluntary; soldiers are not deployed in combat before the age of 18)
•   Nicaragua – 18 (voluntary)
•   Niger – 18 (compulsory)
•   Nigeria – 18 (voluntary)
•   North Macedonia – 18 (voluntary)
•   Norway – 17 (voluntary – men), 18 (voluntary – women), 19 (compulsory; conscription age can be lowered to 15 during wartime)

O

•   Oman – 18 (voluntary)

P

•   Pakistan – 16 (voluntary)
•   Papua New Guinea – 18 (voluntary; age 16 with parental consent)
•   Paraguay – 18 (compulsory)
•   Peru – 18 (voluntary)
•   Philippines – 17 (voluntary)
•   Poland – 18 (voluntary; enlistment age can be lowered to 17 during wartime)
•   Portugal – 18 (voluntary)

Q

•   Qatar – 18 (compulsory)

R

•   Romania – 18 (voluntary)
•   Russia – 18 (compulsory)
•   Rwanda – 18 (voluntary)

S

•   Saint Kitts and Nevis – 18 (voluntary)
•   San Marino – 15 (voluntary)
•   São Tomé and Príncipe – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
•   Saudi Arabia – 17 (voluntary)
•   Senegal – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory)
•   Serbia – 18 (voluntary)
•   Seychelles – 18 (voluntary)
•   Sierra Leone – 18 (voluntary)
•   Singapore – 16.5 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
•   Slovakia – 18 (voluntary)
•   Slovenia – 18 (voluntary)
•   Somalia – 18 (compulsory)
•   South Africa – 18 (voluntary)
•   South Sudan – 18 (compulsory)
•   Spain – 18 (voluntary)
•   Sri Lanka – 18 (voluntary)
•   Sudan – 18 (compulsory)
•   Suriname – 18 (voluntary)
•   Sweden – 18 (compulsory)
•    Switzerland – 18 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory)
•   Syria – 18 (compulsory)

T

•   Taiwan – 19 (compulsory)
•   Tajikistan – 18 (compulsory)
•   Tanzania – 18 (voluntary)
•   Thailand – 18 (voluntary), 21 (compulsory)
•   Timor-Leste – 18 (voluntary)
•   Togo – 18 (voluntary)
•   Tonga – 18 (voluntary; age 16 with parental consent)
•   Trinidad and Tobago – 18 (voluntary; age 17 with parental consent)
•   Tunisia – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory)
•   Turkey – 18 (voluntary), 21 (compulsory)
•   Turkmenistan – 18 (compulsory)

U

•   Uganda – 18 (voluntary)
•   Ukraine – 25 (compulsory; was 27 before April 2024) ^[1]
•   United Arab Emirates – 18 (compulsory)
•   United Kingdom – 18 (voluntary; age 16 with parental consent; age 17.5 for admission to an officer program; Nepalese citizens can join the Brigade of Gurkhas at age 17)
•   United States – 18 (voluntary registration), 18 (voluntary service; age 17 with parental consent), 17 (compulsory militia service under 10 U.S. Code § 246) ^[2]
•   Uruguay – 18 (voluntary)
•   Uzbekistan – 18 (compulsory)

V

•   Vatican City – 19 years old. The Holy See maintains a small volunteer force of Swiss nationals who make up the Pontifical Swiss Guard.
•   Venezuela – 18 (compulsory)
•   Vietnam – 18 (compulsory)
•   Vanuatu - 18 (voluntary)

Y

•   Yemen – 18 (voluntary)

Z

•   Zambia – 18 (voluntary; age 16 with parental consent)
•   Zimbabwe – 18 (voluntary)

References

1. "Ukraine lowers its conscription age to 25 to replenish its beleaguered troops". AP News. 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
2. "10 U.S. Code § 246 - Militia: Composition and classes".

• Online CIA publication The World Factbook

External links

• Military service ages and obligation