From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
These are the enlistment ages for Military service, by country, according to the online CIA publication The World Factbook.
- Afghanistan – 22 (military service is voluntary)
- Albania – 19 (military service is voluntary)
- Algeria – 19 (military service is compulsory)
- Angola – 17 (military service is compulsory)
- Antigua and Barbuda – 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Argentina – 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Armenia – 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Australia – 16 (military service is voluntary; soldiers are not deployed in combat zones before age 18.)
- Austria – 16 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
- Azerbaijan – 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Bahamas – 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Bahrain – 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Bangladesh – 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Barbados - 18 (military service is voluntary; volunteers can join at an earlier age with parental consent.)
- Belarus - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Belgium - 16 (military service is voluntary; soldiers are not deployed in combat zones before age 18.)
- Belize - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Benin - 18 (voluntary), 21 (compulsory)
- Bhutan - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Bolivia - 18 (military service is voluntary; when annual number of volunteers is low, boys as young as 14 are conscripted.)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina - 17 (military service is voluntary)
- Botswana - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Brazil - 17 (voluntary), 21 (compulsory)
- Brunei - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Bulgaria - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Burkina Faso - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Burma - 18 (military service is voluntary; forced conscription of children as young as 12, despite being prohibited, still continues)
- Burundi - 16 (military service is compulsory)
- Cambodia - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Cameroon - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Canada - 18 (military service is voluntary; 16 year olds can join the reserves or as Military College juniors; volunteers can join the regular full time forces at age 17 with parental consent; soldiers are not deployed in combat zones before age 18.)
- Cape Verde - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Central African Republic - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Chad - 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join at an earlier age with parental consent.), 20 (compulsory - men), 21 (compulsory - women)
- Chile - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- People's Republic of China - 18 (military service is voluntary; de facto no minimum age for volunteers.)
- Colombia - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Republic of the Congo - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Cote d'Ivoire - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Croatia - 16 (voluntary, with parental consent), 18 (compulsory; conscription will end in 2010.)
- Cuba - 17 (military service is compulsory)
- Cyprus - 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
- Czech Republic - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Ecuador - 20 (military service is compulsory)
- Egypt - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- El Salvador - 16 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
- Equatorial Guinea - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Eritrea - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Estonia - 17 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory)
- Ethiopia - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Fiji - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Finland - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- France - 17 (military service is voluntary)
- Gabon - 20 (military service is compulsory)
- Gambia - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Georgia - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Germany - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Ghana - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Greece - 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory; lowered to 17 during wartime.)
- Guatemala - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Guinea - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Guinea-Bissau - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Honduras - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Hungary - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- India - 16 (military service is voluntary; soldiers are not deployed in combat zones before age 18.)
- Indonesia - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Iran - 16 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
- Iraq - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Ireland - 17 (military service is voluntary)
- Israel - 17 (both voluntary and compulsory; only Jewish and Druze citizens are subject to conscription.)
- Italy - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Jamaica - 18 (military service is voluntary; volunteers can join at an earlier age with parental consent.)
- Japan - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Jordan - 17 (military service is voluntary)
- Kazakhstan - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Kenya - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- North Korea - 17 (military service is compulsory)
- South Korea - 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory)
- Kuwait - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Kyrgyzstan - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Laos - 15 (military service is compulsory)
- Latvia - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Lebanon - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Lesotho - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Liberia - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Libya - 17 (military service is voluntary)
- Lithuania - 18 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory)
- Luxembourg - 17 (military service is voluntary; soldiers are not deployed in combat zones before age 18.)
- Macedonia - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Madagascar - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Malawi - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Malaysia - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Maldives - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Mali - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Malta - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Mauritania - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Mexico - 16 (voluntary, with parental consent), 18 (compulsory)
- Moldova - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Mongolia - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Montenegro - 17 (military service is voluntary)
- Morocco - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Mozambique - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Namibia - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Nepal - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Netherlands - 20 (military service is voluntary)
- New Zealand - 17 (military service is voluntary; soldiers are not deployed in combat zones before age 18.)
- Nicaragua - 17 (military service is voluntary)
- Niger - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Nigeria - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Norway - 16 (voluntary service in the Home Guard), 17 (voluntary - men), 18 (voluntary - women), 18 (compulsory - men; lowered to 16 during wartime.)
- Oman - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Pakistan - 16 (military service is voluntary; soldiers are not deployed in combat zones before age 18.)
- Papua New Guinea - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Paraguay - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Peru - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Philippines - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Poland - 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
- Portugal - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Qatar - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Romania - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Russia - 18 (military service is compulsory; men have to register for the draft at age 17.)
- Rwanda - 16 (military service is voluntary)
- Saint Kitts and Nevis - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Sao Tome and Principe - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Saudi Arabia - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Senegal - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Serbia - 19 (military service is compulsory; lowered to 16 during wartime; conscription will end in 2010.)
- Seychelles - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Sierra Leone - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Singapore - 16 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
- Slovakia - 17 (military service is voluntary)
- Slovenia - 17 (military service is voluntary)
- South Africa - 18 (military service is voluntary; a grade 12 diploma is required)
- Spain - 20 (military service is voluntary)
- Sri Lanka - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Sudan - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Suriname - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Swaziland - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Sweden - 19 (military service is voluntary)
- Switzerland - 17 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory)
- Syria - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Taiwan - 19 (military service is compulsory)
- Tajikistan - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Tanzania - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Thailand - 18 (voluntary), 21 (compulsory)
- Timor-Leste - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Togo - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Tonga - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Trinidad and Tobago - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Tunisia - 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory)
- Turkey - 20 (military service is compulsory)
- Turkmenistan - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Uganda - 13 (voluntary, with parental consent), 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Ukraine - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- United Arab Emirates - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- United Kingdom - 16 (military service is voluntary; applications are accepted from those 15 years and 9 months old; must be at least 17 year old for admission to an officer program; soldiers are not deployed in combat zones before age 18.)
- United States - 18 (military service is voluntary; volunteers can join at age 17 with parental consent; soldiers are not deployed in combat zones before age 18.)
- Uruguay - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Uzbekistan - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Venezuela - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Vietnam - 18 (military service is compulsory)
- Yemen - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Zambia - 18 (military service is voluntary)
- Zimbabwe - 18 (military service is compulsory)
