| Field Listing - Military manpower - military age and obligation

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Country | Military manpower - military 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 - 2 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 (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 8 months to 6 (June 2004)
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 (May 2004)
Belgium | 16 years of age for voluntary military service (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 4 months (July 2004)

Botswana | 18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown (2001)
Brazil | 19 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 17 years of age for voluntary service (2001)
Brunei | 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Bulgaria | 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 9 months (2004)
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 (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 3-year service obligation; 18 years of age for volunteers; no minimum age restriction for volunteers with consent from a guardian (2004)
Chile | 18 years of age for compulsory military service; all 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; 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 6-month service obligation; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary service; Croatian Military Police planning to end conscription in 2005 (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; military service transformed into a fully professional, all-volunteer force no longer dependent on conscription beginning in January 2004 (2005)
Denmark | 18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from 4 to 12 months according to specialization; reservists are assigned to mobilization units following completion of their conscript 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; 3-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, with 11-month service obligation; Estonia has committed to retaining conscription for men and women up to 2010; 17 years of age for volunteers (2004)
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 with consent for voluntary military service (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 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)
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 after reaching 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 and Air Force, 15 months for Navy (2005)
Guatemala | 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004)
Guinea | 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (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 2-3 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 (June 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 - 2 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 (2004)
Kazakhstan | 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 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 (2004)
Kuwait | 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (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; Latvia plans to phase out conscription, tentatively moving to an all-professional force by 2007 (August 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 6 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (January 2005)
Madagascar | 18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 18 months (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 - 2 years (2004)
Malta | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
Mauritania | 18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 2 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 (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 military recruitment; no conscription (July 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 - 2 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 non-commissioned officers (April 2004)

Portugal | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military service was ended in 2004 (January 2005)
Qatar | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; Land Force's enlisted personnel are largely nonprofessional foreign nationals (2005)
Reunion | 18 years of age (2004)
Romania | 20 years of age for compulsory military service, 18 in wartime; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004)

Russia

18-27 years of age; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age; 200,000 conscripts were inducted into the armed forces in 2003; length of compulsory military service is 2 years; plans as of August 2004 call for reduction in mandatory service to 1 year by 2008; 2003 planning calls for volunteer servicemen to compose 70% of armed forces by 2010, with the remaining servicemen consisting of conscripts (August 2004)

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 - 2 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 (December 2004)
Slovakia | complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force is planned for 1 January 2007; 82% of Slovak armed forces were volunteers as of January 2005; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years; 18 years of age for compulsory military service (January 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 (October 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 - 3 years (August 2004)
Suriname | 18 years of age (est.); no conscription
Swaziland | 18 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 the age of 47 (2004)

Switzerland

the Swiss Confederation states that "every Swiss male is obligated 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 (2004)
Taiwan | 19-40 years of age for military service (being lowered to 35 years of age in July 2005); service obligation 22 months (being shortened to 18 months in July 2005 and 12 months in 2008) (2005)
Tajikistan | 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 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 - 2 years (2004)
Thailand | 21 years of age for compulsory military service; males are registered at 18 years of age; conscript service obliation - 2 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 - 2 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 (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 - 2 years (2004)
Yemen | 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
Zambia | 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Zimbabwe | 18 years of age (est.) (2004)

This page was last updated on 30 June, 2005