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These are the enlistment ages for military service by country, according to the online CIA publication The World Factbook .
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2011) |
These are the enlistment ages for military service by country, according to the online CIA publication The World Factbook .
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)
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)
Cape Verde – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
Cambodia – 18 (compulsory)
Cameroon – 18 (voluntary)
Canada – 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join the Reserves and enter the Military Colleges at age 16, 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)
Denmark – 18 (compulsory)
Djibouti – 18 (voluntary)
Dominican Republic – 18 (voluntary)
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)
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).
Kazakhstan – 18 (compulsory)
Kenya – 18 (voluntary)
North Korea – 17 (compulsory)
South Korea – 18 (compulsory)
Kuwait – 17 (voluntary)
Kyrgyzstan – 18 (compulsory), 19 (voluntary – women)
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 – 20 (voluntary)
Mozambique – 18 (compulsory)
Myanmar – 18 (voluntary)
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)
Oman – 18 (voluntary)
Pakistan – 16 (voluntary; soldiers cannot be deployed to combat before the age of 18)
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)
Qatar – 18 (compulsory)
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)
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 16 with parental consent)
Tunisia – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory)
Turkey – 18 (voluntary), 21 (compulsory)
Turkmenistan – 18 (compulsory)
Uganda – 18 (voluntary)
Ukraine – 25 (compulsory) [2] 
United Arab Emirates – 18 (compulsory)
United Kingdom – 18 (voluntary; age 16 with parental consent; age 17 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) [3] 
Uruguay – 18 (voluntary)
Uzbekistan – 18 (compulsory)
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)
Yemen – 18 (voluntary)
Conscription, also known as the draft in American English, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day under various names. The modern system of near-universal national conscription for young men dates to the French Revolution in the 1790s, where it became the basis of a very large and powerful military. Most European nations later copied the system in peacetime, so that men at a certain age would serve 1 to 8 years on active duty and then transfer to the reserve force.
The Hellenic Armed Forces are the military forces of Greece. They consist of the Hellenic Army, the Hellenic Navy, and the Hellenic Air Force.
National service is the system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term national service comes from the United Kingdom's National Service Act 1939.
The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when a person ceases to be considered a minor and assumes legal control over their person, actions, and decisions, thus terminating the control and legal responsibilities of their parents or guardian over them. Most countries set the age of majority at 18, but some jurisdictions have a higher age and others lower. The word majority here refers to having greater years and being of full age as opposed to minority, the state of being a minor. The law in a given jurisdiction may not actually use the term "age of majority".
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
In the United States, military conscription, commonly known as the draft, has been employed by the U.S. federal government in six conflicts: the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The fourth incarnation of the draft came into being in 1940, through the Selective Training and Service Act; this was the country's first peacetime draft.
Between 1956 and 2011, Germany conscripted men subject to mandatory military service. After a proposal on 22 November 2010 by Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, the German Minister of Defence at the time, Germany put conscription into abeyance on 1 July 2011. While the German constitution retains the legal instruments for reintroducing conscription in Germany, currently only men over 18 years of age can be conscripted whilst women cannot under any circumstance be required to "serve with a weapon".
Compulsory military training (CMT), a form of conscription, was practised for males in New Zealand between 1909 and 1972. Military training in New Zealand has been voluntary before then and ever since.
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), maintains an active conscription system in accordance with the regulations set by the government of the Republic of China. All qualified male citizens of military age in the country are obligated to perform 1 year on active duty military service or receive 4 months of military training.
A military reserve force is a military organization whose members (reservists) have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve forces are generally considered part of a permanent standing body of armed forces, and allow a nation to reduce its peacetime military expenditures and maintain a force prepared for war. During peacetime, reservists typically serve part-time alongside a civilian job, although most reserve forces have a significant permanent full-time component as well. Reservists may be deployed for weeks or months-long missions during peacetime to support specific operations. During wartime, reservists may be kept in service for months or years at a time, although typically not for as long as active duty soldiers.
In the United Kingdom, military conscription has existed for two periods in modern times. The first was from 1916 to 1920, and the second from 1939 to 1960. The last conscription term ended in 1963 although many soldiers chose to continue in the service beyond 1963.
Civil conscription is the obligation of civilians to perform mandatory labour for the government. This kind of work has to correspond with the exceptions in international agreements, otherwise it could fall under the category of unfree labour. There are two basic kinds of civil conscriptions. On the one hand, a compulsory service can be ordered on a temporary basis during wartimes and other times of emergency, like severe economic crisis or extraordinary natural events to provide basic services to the population. These include, but are not limited to, medical care, food supplies, defense industry supplies or cleanup efforts, following a severe weather or environmental disaster for the duration of the emergency. Therefore, it generally makes striking illegal for the duration of the civil mobilization. On the other hand, a revolving mandatory service may be required for a longer period of time, for example, to ensure community fire protection or to carry out infrastructure work at a local or community level.
Conscription in South Korea has existed since 1957 and requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 to perform compulsory military service. Women are not required to perform military service, but they may voluntarily join the military.
Compulsory service in a sedentary militia was practiced in Canada as early as 1669 and continued until the late 19th century, when Canada's sedentary Reserve Militia fell into disuse. However, conscription into a full-time military service had only been instituted twice by the government of Canada, during both world wars.
France was the first modern nation state to introduce universal military conscription as a condition of citizenship. This was done in order to provide manpower for the country's military at the time of the French Revolution (1789–1799). Conscription in France continued in various forms for the next two centuries, until being phased out from 1997 to 2001.
Children under the age of 18 have been used by national armed forces and other armed groups in Africa. Typically, this classification includes children serving in non-combatant roles, as well as those serving in combatant roles. In 2008, it was estimated that 40 percent of child soldiers worldwide were in Africa, and the use of child soldiers in armed conflict was increasing faster than any other continent. Additionally, average age of children recruited as soldiers appears to be decreasing. As of 2017, the UN listed that seven out of fourteen countries recruiting and using child soldiers in state forces or armed groups were in Africa: Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan.
The Zambian Army is the land military branch of the Zambian Defence Force. Like all branches of the Zambian military, citizens of the nation are required to register at 16 years old, and citizens can join at 16 years old with parental consent or at 18 years old when they are classified as adults by Zambia. There is currently no conscription. Applicants must be Zambian citizens and must have a school Grade 12 certification. Applicants must also undergo a test for HIV on enlistment. Personnel can serve until age 55, when there is a mandatory retirement. Its first Commander Major General was Michael Grigg, appointed by Kenneth Kaunda. The first local Commander was Gen Kingsley Chinkuli. According to the 2014 CIA World Factbook: The current National Army Commander is Lieutenant General Geoffrey Choongo Zyeele and his deputy is Major General Luswepo Sinyinzawho who were both appointed by President Hakainder Hichilema on 12 September 2024.
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) began as an all-volunteer force. In 1955, as part of an effort to modernize the PLA, the first Military Service Law created a system of compulsory military service. Since the late 1970s, the Chinese conscription laws mandate a hybrid system that combines conscripts and volunteers. Due to sufficient volunteer recruitment, mandatory military service has not been enacted in China since 1949.
Conscription in North Korea occurs despite ambiguity concerning its legal status. Men are universally conscripted while women undergo selective conscription. Conscription takes place at age 17 and service ends at 30. Children of the political elites are exempt from conscription, as are people with bad songbun. Recruitment is done on the basis of annual targets drawn up by the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and implemented locally by schools. Conscription first began before the Korean War.
Conscription in Monaco existed during a brief time between 1848 and 1870 when the Monégasque Militia was active. Since then, Monégasque citizens have been exempt both from conscription and direct taxation.
