List of enlistment age by country

Short description: none

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)
* Template:Country data Hezbollah \- 18 (voluntary)

## 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 (compulsory)

## 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 (compulsory)
* Lebanon – 17 (voluntary)
* Lesotho – 18 (voluntary)
* Liberia – 18 (voluntary)
* Libya – 18 (compulsory)
* Lithuania – 18 (compulsory)
* Luxembourg – 18 (voluntary)
* Template:Country data 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;)

## 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" (in en). 2024-04-03. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-conscription-mobilization-251058a942a253f3eaec2c53373adf03.
2. ↑ "10 U.S. Code § 246 - Militia: Composition and classes". https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/246.

* Online CIA publication The World Factbook

## External links

* Military service ages and obligation

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