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.

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)
•  Armenia – 18 (compulsory)
•  Australia – 18 (voluntary; age 17 with parental consent)
•  Austria – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
•  Azerbaijan – 17 (voluntary), 18 (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 – 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; conscription not enforced)
•  Croatia – 18 (voluntary)
•  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 – 17 (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 – 17 (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)

I

•  India – 17 (voluntary)
•  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)

M

•  Madagascar – 18 (compulsory)
•  Malawi – 18 (voluntary)
•  Malaysia – 17 (voluntary)
•  Maldives – 18 (voluntary)
•  Mali – 18 (compulsory)
•  Malta – 18 (voluntary)
•  Mauritania – 18 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory, conscription not enforced)
•  Mexico – 16 (voluntary, with parental consent), 18 (compulsory)
•  Moldova – 18 (compulsory)
•  Mongolia – 18 (compulsory)
•  Montenegro – 18 (voluntary)
•  Morocco – 20 (voluntary)
•  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 16 during wartime)

O

•  Oman – 18 (voluntary)

P

•  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)

Q

•  Qatar – 18 (compulsory)

R

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

S

•  Saint Kitts and Nevis – 18 (voluntary)
•  San Marino – 18 (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 16 with parental consent)
•  Tunisia – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory)
•  Turkey – 18 (voluntary), 21 (compulsory)
•  Turkmenistan – 18 (compulsory)

U

•  Uganda – 18 (voluntary)
•  Ukraine – 20 (compulsory)
•  United Arab Emirates – 17 (voluntary, with consent), 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)^[1]
•  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)

Y

•  Yemen – 18 (voluntary)

Z

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

References

• Online CIA publication The World Factbook

External links

• Military service ages and obligation

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