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Mandatory Military Service

De jure

Infrequent

No

Uncertain

unclear

Yes

Click on a country for details.

Countries with Mandatory Military Service 2024

Most nations in the world have some form of military. However, the methods used to fill the ranks of those armed forces vary from one country to the next. Primary methods of recruitment include the following:

  • Voluntary enlistment — Citizens choose the military as their employer and serve their country as their job or career. Widely regarded as the most preferable and socially responsible method of maintaining a military force.
  • Mandatory service — All males (and sometimes all females as well) of a certain age must serve their country for a minimum amount of time (usually 1-3 years). Typically employed by militaries with the greatest need or the most autocratic leaders.
  • Conscription/Draft — A variation on mandatory service in which everyone in a certain demographic group (typically males aged 18-35) must register as eligible for military service, but the possibility exists that they will not be called to active duty (referred to as being "drafted" or "conscripted"), particularly in times of peace.
  • Selective compulsory service — In many conscription systems, the selection of recruits is random or lottery-driven. In selective compulsory systems, however, candidates are deliberately chosen and called into service only to meet a particular area of need (for instance, medical personnel, mechanics, or pilots).
  • De Jure compulsory service — The least demanding form of compulsory service. Mandatory military service technically exists according to the law but is rarely (if ever) actually enforced. For example, the United States still requires all able-bodied males aged 18-25 to register with the Selective Service, meaning they could be drafted into military service if needed. However, so many voluntary recruits enlist that the draft has not been used since 1973 (during the Vietnam War). Similarly, males in China aged 18-22 must register for 24-month compulsory service, but enough volunteers exist that no “draft” of compulsory registrants has ever taken place.
  • Combinations — Many nations utilize multiple systems in tandem. The United States, for example, relies on voluntary enlistment but also has a de jure conscription system (the Selective Service) to fall back upon should the need arise.

Mandatory military service in the news

The United States has the highest defense spending budget of any country, despite the fact that fewer than 1% of its citizens actively serve in the military. Many Americans may be surprised to learn that the Selective Service—commonly referred to as the draft—still exists. Resolutions introduced in the House of Representatives in 2019 (H.R. 5492) and 2021 (H.R. 2509) would both have abolished the Selective Service. However, as of December 2023, both resolutions appeared to have died in committee.

South Korea amended its compulsory conscription law in 2020 to enable globally relevant entertainers such as K-pop group BTS, whose members would soon be forced to quit the group to serve their time in the military, to defer their 18-21 months of service until age 30.

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Country
Mandatory Military Service
Details
Afghanistanunclear
AlbaniaNo
Conscription abolished 2010
AlgeriaYes
12 months for males aged 19-30
AngolaYes
24 months for males aged 20-45
Antigua and BarbudaNo
No conscription
ArgentinaDe jure
Conscription suspended in 1995, but government has authority to draft citizens into service Argentin...
ArmeniaYes
24 months for males 18-27. If enrolled in officer-producing program at university, can defer service...
AustraliaNo
Conscription abolished 1973
AustriaYes
6 months military service or 9 months alternative civil/community service for males 18 to 50 years o...
AzerbaijanYes
18 months for men 18-25 (12 months for university graduates)
BahamasNo
No conscription
BahrainNo
No conscription
BangladeshNo
No conscription
BarbadosNo
No conscription
BelarusYes
12-18 months military service or 24-36 months alternative service for males aged 18-27; duration dep...
BelgiumNo
Conscription abolished 1995
BelizeDe jure
Law authorizes conscription if necessary, but as volunteers outnumber available positions 3:1, it ha...
BeninYes
18 months selective compulsory service for males and females aged 18-35; higher education degree req...
BermudaNo
No conscription
BhutanYes
Military training required for males 20-25, but full enlistment is voluntary
BoliviaYes
12 months military service or 24 months Search and Rescue for males aged 18-22
Bosnia and HerzegovinaNo
Conscription abolished 2005
BotswanaNo
No conscription
BrazilYes
10-12 months for males aged 18-45
BruneiNo
No conscription
BulgariaNo
Conscription ended 2007
Burkina FasoNo
No conscription
BurundiNo
No conscription
CambodiaYes
18 months for males aged 18-30
CameroonNo
No conscription
CanadaNo
No conscription
Cape VerdeYes
24 months selective compulsory for males and females 18-35
Central African RepublicNo
No conscription
ChadYes
36 months for males age 20, 12 months for females age 21 (females can opt for civic service)
ChileInfrequent
12 months (Army) to 22 months (Navy, Air Force) selective compulsory service for males 18-45 — But i...
ChinaDe jure
De jure system (legally recognized, but not practiced). 24 months for males aged 18-22 — However, co...
ColombiaYes
18 months for males aged 18-24
ComorosNo
No conscription
CroatiaNo
Conscription abolished 2008
CubaYes
24 months for males aged 17-28
CuracaoNo
No conscription
CyprusYes
14 months in Cypriot National Guard (CNG) for males aged 18-50
Czech RepublicNo
Conscription abolished 2004
DenmarkYes
4-12 months training required for men at age 18. No immediate service required, but soldier remains ...
DjiboutiNo
No conscription
Dominican RepublicNo
No conscription
DR CongoYes
Law authorizes conscription of citizens aged 18-45 if necessary; degree of implementation is unclear
EcuadorNo
Conscription suspended
EgyptYes
18-36 months for males 18-30, who then become reserves for 9 years
El SalvadorYes
12 months (11 for officers and non-commissioned officers) selective compulsory service for males at ...
Equatorial GuineaYes
24 months selective compulsory for males at age 18, though conscription is rare in practice.
EritreaYes
6 months training and 12 months national service (typically military) for males aged 18-40 and femal...
EstoniaYes
8-11 months military or government service for males 18-27; duration depends on education, with NCOs...
EswatiniNo
No conscription
EthiopiaDe jure
No ongoing compulsory military service, but the military may conduct compulsory callups when necessa...
FijiNo
No conscription
FinlandYes
6-12 months military or border guard service for males at age 18, after which they become reserves u...
FranceNo
No conscription
GabonNo
No conscription
GambiaNo
No conscription
GeorgiaYes
12 months for males aged 18-27
GermanyNo
Conscription ended 2011
GhanaNo
No conscription
GreeceYes
9 months (Air Force, Navy) to 12 months (Army) for males aged 19-45
GuatemalaYes
12-24 months selective conscription service for males aged 17-21, though conscription is rare in pra...
GuineaNo
No conscription
Guinea BissauYes
24 months selective compulsory service for males and females aged 18-25
GuyanaNo
No conscription
HondurasNo
No conscription
HungaryNo
Conscription abolished 2005
IndiaNo
No conscription
IndonesiaDe jure
Selective conscription is authorized, but not currently utilized. Obligation is 18-24 months for mal...
IranYes
18-24 months for males at age 18
IraqNo
No conscription
IrelandNo
No conscription
IsraelYes
32 months for men and 24 months for women (varies based on military occupation), 48 months for offic...
ItalyNo
Conscription abolished 2004
Ivory CoastDe jure
Selective conscription of males and females aged 18-25 is authorized, but is not currently enforced.
JamaicaNo
No conscription
JapanNo
No conscription
JordanYes
12 months for unemployed males 25-29; obligation consists of 3 months military training and 9 months...
KazakhstanYes
12 months for males aged 18-27
KenyaNo
No conscription
KuwaitYes
12 months for males aged 18-35
KyrgyzstanYes
9 months (university graduates) to 12 months military or Interior Ministry service for males aged 18...
LaosYes
18 months for males at age 18
LatviaNo
No conscription
LebanonNo
No conscription
LesothoNo
No conscription
LiberiaNo
No conscription
LibyaNo
No conscription
LithuaniaYes
9 months for males aged 19-26
LuxembourgNo
No conscription
MadagascarNo
No conscription
MalawiNo
No conscription
MalaysiaNo
No conscription
MaldivesNo
No conscription
MaliYes
24 months selective compulsory for males and females at age 18
MaltaNo
No conscription
MauritaniaNo
No conscription
MauritiusNo
No conscription
MexicoYes
12 months for lottery-selected males at age 18; after which they become reserves until age 40
MoldovaYes
12 months for males aged 18-27 - may be abolished soon
MongoliaYes
12 months Army, Air Force, or police service or 24 months civil service for males aged 18-27; after ...
MontenegroNo
Conscription abolished 2006
MoroccoYes
12 months for males and females at age 19
MozambiqueYes
24 months of selective compulsory service for males and females aged 18-35
MyanmarDe jure
Law reintroducing conscription passed in 2010, but has not yet entered into force
NamibiaNo
No conscription
NepalNo
No conscription
NetherlandsNo
Conscription abolished 1996
New ZealandNo
No conscription
NicaraguaNo
No conscription
NigerYes
24 months selective compulsory service in military (females may also serve in health care) for unmar...
NigeriaNo
No conscription
North KoreaYes
8 years (males) to 5 years (females) military service at age 17
North MacedoniaNo
Conscription abolished 2007
NorwayYes
19 months (12 months plus 4-5 refreshers) for males and females aged 19-44 (18-55 in wartime). Howev...
OmanNo
No conscription
PakistanNo
No conscription
Papua New GuineaNo
No conscription
ParaguayYes
12 months (Army) to 24 months (Navy) for males at age 18
PeruNo
No conscription
PhilippinesNo
No conscription
PolandDe jure
De jure system. Not used since 2009, but the president may, at the advice of the legislature, introd...
PortugalDe jure
Compulsory service abolished 2004. Conscription authorized, but is not currently enforced.
QatarYes
4-12 months (depending upon education and profession) for males 18-35
Republic of the CongoNo
No conscription
RomaniaNo
Conscription ended 2006
RussiaYes
12 months for males 18-27, after which they become reserves until age 50. May end conscription in ne...
RwandaNo
No conscription
Saint Kitts and NevisNo
No conscription
Saint LuciaNo
No conscription
San MarinoDe jure
No organized conscription, but government has the authority to call up all citizens aged 16-60 to se...
Sao Tome and PrincipeDe jure
[Limited information] Conscription authorized for citizens at age 18, but is apparently unenforced.
Saudi ArabiaNo
No conscription
SenegalYes
24 months selective compulsory service for males (and possibly females) at age 20
SerbiaNo
Conscription abolished 2011
SeychellesNo
No conscription
Sierra LeoneNo
No conscription
SingaporeYes
24 months for males 18-21, who then become reserves until age 40 (enlisted) or 50 (officers)
SlovakiaDe jure
Conscription in peacetime suspended in 2004
SloveniaNo
Conscription abolished in 2003, but could be reinstated in event of war
SomaliaDe jure
Conscription of males aged 18-40 and females aged 18-30 is authorized, but is not currently enforced
South AfricaNo
No conscription
South KoreaYes
21 months (Army), 23 months (Navy) or 24 months (Air Force) for males 18-28 (scheduled to decrease t...
South SudanYes
12-24 months for citizens (gender requirements unclear) at age 18
SpainDe jure
Conscription abolished 2001, but government has right to mobilize citizens aged 19-25 years in case ...
Sri LankaNo
No conscription
SudanYes
12-24 months for males and females 18-33
SurinameNo
No conscription
SwedenYes
7.5 months (Army), 7-15 months (Navy), or 8-12 months (Air Force) for males and females aged 18-47, ...
SwitzerlandYes
245 days (18 weeks) training for males 18-30, followed by six 19-day recalls over next 10 years
SyriaYes
18 months for males aged 18-42
TaiwanYes
4 months military training for males aged 18-36 (civil service can be substituted in some cases), pl...
TajikistanYes
24 months for males aged 18-27; an exemption can be purchased for US$2,200 as of 2021
TanzaniaUncertain
No military conscription, but selective conscription for 24 months public service is authorized. Cur...
ThailandYes
24 months for lottery-chosen males at age 21
Timor LesteUncertain
Conscription of males and females aged 18-30 for 18 months of service was authorized in 2007, but cu...
TogoNo
No conscription
TongaNo
No conscription
Trinidad and TobagoNo
No conscription
TunisiaYes
12 months for ages 20-35 (gender requirements unclear)
TurkeyYes
6-12 months for males at age 20 (6 months for privates and non-commissioned officers and 12 months f...
TurkmenistanYes
24 months (30 months for Navy) for males aged 18-30
UgandaNo
No conscription
UkraineYes
12 months for ages 20-27 (gender requirements unclear); conscripts cannot serve on front lines. Cons...
United Arab EmiratesYes
24 months (16 months for secondary school graduates) for males aged 18-30
United KingdomNo
Conscription abolished 1963
United StatesDe jure
De jure system. No conscription currently active, but Selective Service retains right to randomly "d...
UruguayDe jure
No military conscription currently active, but government has the authority to conscript in emergenc...
UzbekistanYes
12 months for males aged 18-27; shortened (1-month) term can be purchased and requires remaining in ...
Vatican CityNo
No conscription
VenezuelaYes
"Forcible recruitment" forbidden, but all citizens aged 18-50 must register for possible military tr...
VietnamYes
24-36 months for males 18-27 (females eligible, but are not drafted)
YemenNo
Conscription abolished 2001
ZambiaNo
No conscription
ZimbabweNo
No conscription
showing: 178 rows

How many countries have mandatory military service?

There are 67 countries that have mandatory military service.

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