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

• Afghanistan – 18 (compulsory)

• Albania – 19 (voluntary)
• Algeria – 18 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory)
• Angola – 18 (voluntary – men), 20 (voluntary – women), 20 (compulsory – men)
• Antigua and Barbuda – 18 (voluntary)
• Argentina – 18 (lowering age of majority 21 to 18)
• Armenia – 17 (military cadets), 18 (compulsory)
• Australia – 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join at age 17 with parental consent)
• Austria – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
• Azerbaijan – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)

B

• Bahamas – 18 (voluntary)
• Bahrain – 15 (voluntary, military cadets, NCOs and technicians), 18 (voluntary)
• Bangladesh – 16 (voluntary)
• Barbados – 18 (voluntary)
• Belarus – 17 (military cadets), 18 (compulsory)
• Belgium – 18 (voluntary)
• Belize – 18 (voluntary)
• Benin – 18 (compulsory)
• Bhutan – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory militia training)
• Bolivia – 17 (voluntary; volunteers can start military training at age 15, exempting them from compulsory service), 18 (compulsory; conscription is only used when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – 18 (voluntary)
• Botswana – 18 (voluntary)
• Brazil – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
• Brunei – 17 (voluntary)
• Bulgaria – 18 (voluntary)
• Burkina Faso – 18 (voluntary)
• Burma – 18 (voluntary)
• Burundi – 18 (voluntary)

C

• Cabo Verde – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
• Cambodia – 18 (compulsory)
• Cameroon – 18 (voluntary)
• Canada – 18 (voluntary; 16-year-olds can join the Reserves or enter the Military Colleges; volunteers can join the regular forces at age 17 with parental consent)
• Central African Republic – 18 (compulsory)
• Chad – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory – men), 21 (compulsory – women)
• Chile – 18 (compulsory; This conscription service can be postponed for educational or religious reasons.)
• 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)
• Cuba – 17 (compulsory)
• Cyprus – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
• Czech Republic – 18 (voluntary)

D

• Denmark – 18 (compulsory)
• Djibouti – 18 (voluntary; volunteers can start military training at age 16)
• Dominican Republic – 15 (voluntary)

E

• Ecuador – 18 (compulsory; conscription is currently suspended in Ecuador until further notice)
• Egypt – 16 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
• El Salvador – 16 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
• Equatorial Guinea – 18 (compulsory)
• Eritrea – 18 (compulsory)
• Estonia – 18 (compulsory)
• Ethiopia – 18 (voluntary)

F

• Fiji – 18 (voluntary)
• Finland – 18 (compulsory)
• France – 18 (voluntary)

G

• Gabon – 20 (voluntary)
• Gambia – 18 (voluntary)
• Georgia – 18 (compulsory)
• Germany – 17 (voluntary)
• Ghana – 18 (voluntary)
• Greece – 18 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory; conscription age can be lowered to 17 in wartime)
• Guatemala – 17 (compulsory)
• Guinea – 18 (compulsory)
• Guinea-Bissau – 16 (voluntary, with parental consent), 18 (compulsory)
• Guyana – 16 (voluntary)

H

• Honduras – 18 (voluntary)
• Hungary – 18 (voluntary)

I

• India – 17 (voluntary; volunteers can join the Navy at age 16)
• Indonesia – 18 (voluntary)
• Iran – 15 (voluntary service in the Basij), 16 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
• Iraq – 18 (voluntary)
• Ireland – 18 (voluntary) 17 with parental consent
• Israel – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
• Italy – 18 (voluntary)

J

• Jamaica – 17 (voluntary)
• Japan – 18 (voluntary)
• Jordan – 17 (voluntary)

K

• Kazakhstan – 15 (military cadets), 18 (compulsory)
• Kenya – 18 (voluntary).
• North Korea – 16 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
• South Korea – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory)
• Kuwait – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
• Kyrgyzstan – 16 (military cadets), 18 (compulsory), 19 (voluntary – women)

L

• Laos – 18 (compulsory)
• Latvia – 18 (voluntary)
• Lebanon – 17 (voluntary)
• Lesotho – 18 (voluntary)
• Liberia – 18 (voluntary)
• Libya – 18 (voluntary)
• Lithuania – 18 (compulsory)
• Luxembourg – 18 (voluntary)

M

• Macedonia – 18 (voluntary)
• Madagascar – 18 (voluntary)
• Malawi – 18 (voluntary)
• Malaysia – 17 (voluntary)
• Maldives – 18 (voluntary)
• Mali – 18 (compulsory)
• Malta – 17 (voluntary)
• Mauritania – 18 (voluntary)
• Mexico – 15 (military cadets), 16 (voluntary, with parental consent), 18 (compulsory)
• Moldova – 18 (compulsory)
• Mongolia – 18 (compulsory)
• Montenegro – 18 (voluntary)
• Morocco – 20 (voluntary)
• Mozambique – 18 (compulsory)

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)
• Norway – 17 (voluntary – men), 18 (voluntary – women), 19 (compulsory – men; conscription age can be lowered to 16 in wartime)

O

• Oman – 18 (voluntary)

P

• Pakistan – 16 (voluntary; 15-year-olds can join the Air Force as technicians)
• Papua New Guinea – 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join at age 16 with parental consent)
• Paraguay – 18 (compulsory)
• Peru – 18 (voluntary)
• Philippines – 17 (voluntary)
• Poland – 18 (voluntary)
• Portugal – 18 (voluntary)

Q

• Qatar – 18 (compulsory)

R

• Romania – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory)
• Russia – 16 (military cadets), 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 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
• Slovakia – 18 (voluntary)
• Slovenia – 18 (voluntary)
• Somalia – 18 (compulsory)
• South Africa – 18 (voluntary)
• South Korea – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory)
• South Sudan – 18 (compulsory)
• Spain – 18 (voluntary)
• Sri Lanka – 18 (voluntary)
• Sudan – 18 (compulsory)
• Suriname – 18 (voluntary)
• Swaziland – 18 (voluntary)
• Sweden – 18 (voluntary)
• Switzerland – 18 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory)
• Syria – 18 (compulsory)

T

• Taiwan – 18 (voluntary)
• Tajikistan – 15 (military cadets), 18 (compulsory)
• Tanzania – 18 (voluntary)
• Thailand – 18 (voluntary), 21 (compulsory)
• Timor-Leste – 18 (voluntary)
• Togo – 18 (compulsory)
• Tonga – 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join at age 16 with parental consent)
• Trinidad and Tobago – 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join at age 16 with parental consent)
• Tunisia – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory)
• Turkey – 18 (voluntary), 21 (compulsory)
• Turkmenistan – 15 (military cadets), 18 (compulsory)

U

• Uganda – 18 (voluntary)
• Ukraine – 20 (compulsory; conscription is planned to be abolished in the future)
• United Arab Emirates – 16 (naval cadets), 18 (compulsory); The country started compulsory national service recently. Exceptions can be made if the applicant had good grades.
• United Kingdom – 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join at age 16 with parental consent; 17 years old for admission to an officer program; Nepalese citizens can join the Brigade of Gurkhas at age 17)
• United States – 18(compulsory registration for males) 18 (voluntary service; volunteers can serve at age 17 with parental consent)
• Uruguay – 18 (voluntary)
• Uzbekistan – 18 (compulsory)

V

• Venezuela – 18 (compulsory)
• Vietnam – 17 (military cadets), 18 (compulsory)

Y

• Yemen – 18 (voluntary)

Z

• Zambia – 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join at age 16 with parental consent)
• Zimbabwe – 18 (voluntary)

References

• Online CIA publication The World Factbook

External links

• Military service ages and obligation