land area about 16 times the size of the US
top fifteen World Factbook entities ranked by size: Pacific Ocean
155.557 million sq km; Atlantic Ocean 76.762 million sq km; Indian
Ocean 68.556 million sq km; Southern Ocean 20.327 million sq km;
Russia 17,098,242 sq km; Arctic Ocean 14.056 million sq km;
Antarctica 14 million sq km; Canada 9,984,670 sq km; United States
9,826,675 sq km; China 9,596,961 sq km; Brazil 8,514,877 sq km;
Australia 7,741,220 sq km; European Union 4,324,782 sq km; India
3,287,263 sq km; Argentina 2,780,400 sq km
top ten largest islands: Greenland 2,166,086 sq km; New Guinea
(Indonesia, Papua New Guinea) 785,753 sq km; Borneo (Brunei,
Indonesia, Malaysia) 751,929 sq km; Madagascar 587,713 sq km; Baffin
Island (Canada) 507,451 sq km; Sumatra (Indonesia) 472,784 sq km;
Honshu (Japan) 227,963 sq km; Victoria Island (Canada) 217,291 sq
km; Great Britain (United Kingdom) 209,331 sq km; Ellesmere Island
(Canada) 196,236 sq km
Yemen
slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
Zambia
slightly larger than Texas
Zimbabwe
slightly larger than Montana
======================================================================
@2024
Field Listing :: Military service age and obligation
This entry gives the required ages for voluntary or conscript
military service and the length of service obligation.
Country
Military service 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 (6 months basic training,
12 months civil projects) (2006)
Angola
20-45 years of age for compulsory and 18-45 years for
voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years;
Angolan citizenship required; minimum age for women volunteers is
20; the MGA is entirely staffed with volunteers (2010)
Antigua and Barbuda
18 years of age for voluntary military service;
no conscription (2010)
Argentina
18-24 years of age for voluntary military service (18-21
requires parental permission); no conscription (2001)
Armenia
18-27 years of age for voluntary or compulsory military
service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2010)
Australia
17 years of age for voluntary military service (with
parental consent); no conscription; women allowed to serve in Army
combat units in non-combat support roles (2010)
Austria
18-35 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years
of age for male or female voluntary service; service obligation 6
months of training, followed by an 8-year reserve obligation;
conscripts cannot be deployed in military operations outside Austria
(2009)
Azerbaijan
men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18
years of age for voluntary military service; length of military
service is 18 months and 12 months for university graduates (2006)
Bahamas, The
18 years of age; no conscription (2010)
Bahrain
17 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of
age for NCOs, technicians, and cadets; no conscription (2010)
Bangladesh
16 years of age for voluntary enlisted military service
(Air Force); 17 years of age (Army and Navy); conscription is by law
possible in times of emergency, but has never been implemented (2010)
Barbados
18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger
volunteers require parental consent); no conscription (2009)
Belarus
18-27 years of age for compulsory military service;
conscript service obligation - 12-18 months, depending on academic
qualifications (2010)
Belgium
18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription
suspended (2010)
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 (2008)
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 (2006)
Bermuda
18-30 years of age for voluntary or compulsory enlistment in
the Bermuda Regiment; males must register at age 18; term of service
is 38 months (2009)
Bhutan
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2010)
Bolivia
18-49 years of age for 12-month compulsory military service;
when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory
recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as
14; 15-19 years of age for voluntary premilitary service, provides
exemption from further military service (2009)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
18 years of age for voluntary military
service; conscription abolished in January 2006; 4-month service
obligation; mandatory retirement at age 35 or after 15 years of
service (2010)
Botswana
18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service;
official minimum age is unknown (2001)
Brazil
21-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript
service obligation - 9 to 12 months; 17-45 years of age for
voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are
"long-service" volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve
in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s when the Brazilian Army
became the first army in South America to accept women into career
ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve
Corps (2001)
Brunei
18 years of age (est.) for voluntary military service;
non-Malays are ineligible to serve (2007)
Bulgaria
18-27 years of age for voluntary military service;
conscription ended in January 2008; service obligation 6-9 months
(2010)
Burkina Faso
18 years of age for voluntary military service; women
may serve in supporting roles (2009)
Burma
18-35 years of age (men) and 18-27 years of age (women) for
compulsory military service; service obligation 2 years; male (ages
18-45) and female (ages 18-35) professionals (including doctors,
engineers, mechanics) serve up to 3 years; service terms may be
streched to 5 years in an officially declared emergency; forced
conscription of children, although officially prohibited, reportedly
continues (2011)
Burundi
military service is voluntary; the armed forces law of 31
December 2004 did not specify a minimum age for enlistment, but the
government had previously said each recruit must have a primary
school-leaving certificate; mandatory retirement age 45 (enlisted),
50 (NCOs), and 55 (officers) (2010)
Cambodia
conscription law of October 2006 requires all males between
18-30 to register for military service; 18-month service obligation
(2006)
Cameroon
18-23 years of age for male and female voluntary military
service; no conscription; high school graduation required; service
obligation 4 years; the government makes periodic calls for
volunteers (2010)
Canada
17 years of age for male and female voluntary military
service (with parental consent); 16 years of age for reserve and
military college applicants; Canadian citizenship or permanent
residence status required; maximum 34 years of age; service
obligation 3-9 years (2008)
Cape Verde
18 years of age (est.) for selective compulsory military
service; 14-month conscript service obligation (2006)
Central African Republic
18 years of age for selective military
service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2010)
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; women are subject to 1 year
of compulsory military or civic service at age of 21 (2004)
Chile
18-45 years of age for voluntary male and female military
service, although the right to compulsory recruitment is retained;
service obligation - 12 months for Army, 22 months for Navy and Air
Force (2008)
China
18-22 years of age for selective compulsory military service,
with 24-month service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary
service (all officers are volunteers); 18-19 years of age for women
high school graduates who meet requirements for specific military
jobs; in 2010, a decision was made to allow women in combat roles
(2010)
Colombia
18-24 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military
service; service obligation - 18 months (2004)
Comoros
18 years of age for 2-year voluntary military service; no
conscription; women first inducted into the Army in 2004 (2010)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
18-45 years of age for voluntary
military service (2009)
Congo, Republic of the
18 years of age for voluntary military
service; women allowed to serve (2007)
Cote d'Ivoire
18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary male
and female military service; voluntary recruitment of former rebels
into the new national army is restricted to ages 22-29 (2010)
Croatia
18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years
of age with consent for voluntary service; 6-month conscript service
obligation; full conversion to voluntary military service by 2010
(2006)
Cuba
17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year
service obligation; both sexes subject to military service (2006)
Curacao
no conscription (2010)
Cyprus
Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG): 18-50 years of age for
compulsory military service for all Greek Cypriot males; 17 years of
age for voluntary service; women may volunteer for a 3-year term;
length of normal service is 25 months (2009)
Czech Republic
18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary
military service; no conscription (2010)
Denmark
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary 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; women eligible to volunteer for military service
(2004)
Djibouti
18 years of age for voluntary military service; 16-25 years
of age for voluntary military training; no conscription (2008)
Dominican Republic
16-21 years of age for compulsory military
service; recruits must be Dominican Republic citizens; women may
volunteer (2010)
Ecuador
20 years of age for selective conscript military service;
12-month service obligation (2008)
Egypt
18-30 years of age for male conscript military service;
service obligation 12-36 months, followed by a 9-year reserve
obligation (2008)
El Salvador
18 years of age for selective compulsory military
service; 16-22 years of age for voluntary male or female service;
service obligation - 12 months, with 11 months for officers and NCOs
(2009)
Equatorial Guinea
18 years of age for selective compulsory military
service; service obligation 2 years; women hold only administrative
positions in the Coast Guard (2011)
Eritrea
18-40 years of age for male and female voluntary and
compulsory military service; 16-month conscript service obligation
(2006)
Estonia
obligation for compulsory service ages 16-60, with
conscription "likely" ages 18-27; service requirement 8-11 months
(2009)
Ethiopia
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
compulsory military service, but the military can conduct call-ups
when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2009)
Fiji
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2010)
Finland
18 years of age for male voluntary and compulsory - and
female voluntary - national military and nonmilitary service;
service obligation 6-12 months; mandatory retirement at age 60 (2010)
France
17-40 years of age for male or female voluntary military
service (with parental consent); no conscription; 12-month service
obligation; women serve in noncombat military posts (2010)
Gabon
20 years of age for voluntary military service; there is no
conscription (2009)
Gambia, The
18 years of age for male and female voluntary military
service; no conscription (2010)
Georgia
18 to 34 years of age for compulsory and voluntary active
duty military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months
(2005)
Germany
18 years of age (conscripts serve a 9-month tour of
compulsory military service) (2004)
Ghana
18 years of age for voluntary military service, with basic
education certificate; no conscription (2010)
Greece
19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; during
wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year
of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 17 years
of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation - 1 year for all
services; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2008)
Guatemala
all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are liable
for military service; conscript service obligation varies from 12 to
24 months; women can serve as officers (2009)
Guinea
18-25 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military
service; 18-month conscript service obligation (2009)
Guinea-Bissau
18-25 years of age for selective compulsory military
service (Air Force service is voluntary); 16 years of age or younger
with parental consent, for voluntary service (2010)
Guyana
18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2008)
Honduras
18 years of age for voluntary 2 to 3-year military service
(2004)
Hungary
18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription; 6-month service obligation (2010)
India
17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription; women may join as officers, but for noncombat roles
only (2010)
Indonesia
18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary
military service; 2-year conscript service obligation, with reserve
obligation to age 45 (officers); Indonesian citizens only (2008)
Iran
19 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of
age for volunteers; 17 years of age for Law Enforcement Forces; 15
years of age for Basij Forces (Popular Mobilization Army); conscript
military service obligation - 18 months; women exempt from military
service (2008)
Iraq
18-40 years of age for voluntary military service (2010)
Ireland
17-25 years of age for male or female voluntary military
service (17-27 years of age for the Naval Service); enlistees 16
years of age can be recruited for apprentice specialist positions;
17-35 years of age for the Reserve Defense Forces (RDF); maximum
obligation 12 years (5 years IDF, 7 years RDF); EU citizenship or
5-year residence in Ireland required (2010)
Israel
18 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary
(Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are
obligated to military service; conscript service obligation - 36
months for enlisted men, 21 months for enlisted women, 48 months for
officers; pilots commit to 9 years service; reserve obligation to
age 41-51 (men), 24 (women) (2010)
Italy
18-27 year of age for voluntary military service; conscription
abolished January 2005; women may serve in any military branch;
10-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 45
(Army and Air Force) or 39 (Navy) (2006)
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; women not subject to conscription, but can
volunteer to serve in non-combat military positions in the Royal
Jordanian Arab Army Women's Corps; conscription for males only
resurrected in July 2007 in order to provide youth training
necessary for job market needs (2010)
Kazakhstan
18 years of age for compulsory military service;
conscript service obligation - 2 years; minimum age for volunteers
NA (2004)
Kenya
18-26 years of age for voluntary service (less than 18 with
parental consent), with a 9-year obligation (7 years for Kenyan
Navy); applicants must be Kenyan citizens and provide a national
identity card (obtained at age 18) and a school-leaving certificate
(2010)
Korea, North
17 years of age (2004)
Korea, South
20-30 years of age for compulsory military service,
with middle school education required; conscript service obligation
- 21 months (Army, Marines), 23 months (Navy), 24 months (Air
Force); 18-26 years of age for voluntary military service; women, in
service since 1950, admitted to 7 service branches, including
infantry, but excluded from artillery, armor, anti-air, and
chaplaincy corps; some 4,000 women serve as commissioned and
noncommissioned officers, approx. 2.3% of all officers; HIV-positive
individuals are exempt from military service (2010)
Kuwait
18-30 years of age for compulsory and 18-25 years of age for
voluntary military service; women age 18-30 may be subject to
compulsory military service; conscription suspended in 2001 (2009)
Kyrgyzstan
18 years of age for compulsory male military service in
the armed forces or Interior Ministry; service obligation 1 year;
women may volunteer at age 19; 16-17 years of age for military
cadets, who cannot take part in military operations (2010)
Laos
18 years of age for compulsory military service; minimum
18-month conscript service obligation (2010)
Latvia
18 years of age for voluntary male and female military
service; conscription abolished January 2007; under current law,
every citizen is entitled to serve in the armed forces for life
(2009)
Lebanon
18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2007)
Lesotho
18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription; women serve as commissioned officers (2009)
Liberia
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2010)
Libya
17 years of age (2004)
Lithuania
19-26 years of age for compulsory military service; 18
years of age for volunteers; 12-month conscript service obligation;
male registration required at age 16 (2009)
Luxembourg
17-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military
service; soldiers under 18 are not deployed into combat or with
peacekeeping missions; no conscription; Luxembourg citizen or EU
citizen with 3-year residence in Luxembourg (2010)
Macedonia
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2010)
Madagascar
18-25 years of age for male-only voluntary military
service; no conscription; service obligation - 18 months (either
military or equivalent civil service); 20-30 years of age for
National Gendarmerie recruits (35 years of age for those with
military experience) (2010)
Malawi
18 years of age for voluntary military service; standard
obligation is 2 years of active duty and 5 years of reserve service
(2007)
Malaysia
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005)
Maldives
18-28 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2010)
Mali
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
conscript service obligation - 2 years (2010)
Malta
17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2010)
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 (2006)
Mexico
18 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript
service obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for
voluntary enlistment; conscripts serve only in the Army; Navy and
Air Force service is all voluntary; women are eligible for voluntary
military service (2007)
Moldova
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 17 years of
age for voluntary service; male registration required at age 16;
12-month service obligation (2009)
Mongolia
18-25 years of age for compulsory military service;
conscript service obligation - 12 months in land or air defense
forces or police; a small portion of Mongolian land forces (2.5
percent) is comprised of contract soldiers; women cannot be deployed
overseas for military operations (2006)
Montenegro
compulsory national military service abolished August 2006
Morocco
18 years of age for voluntary military service; service
obligation - 18 months (2010)
Mozambique
registration for military service is mandatory for all
males and females at 18 years of age; 18-35 years of age for
selective compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary
service; 2-year service obligation; women may serve as officers or
enlisted (2010)
Namibia
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2010)
Nepal
18 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of
age for military training; no conscription (2010)
Netherlands
20 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2004)
New Zealand
17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers
cannot be deployed until the age of 18; no conscription (2010)
Nicaragua
17 years of age for voluntary military service; tour of
duty 18-36 months (2008)
Niger
17-21 years of age for selective compulsory or voluntary
military service; enlistees must be Nigerien citizens and unmarried;
2-year service term; women may serve in health care (2009)
Nigeria
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)
Norway
18-44 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16
years of age in wartime; 17 years of age for male volunteers; 18
years of age for women; 12-month service obligation, in practice
shortened to 8 to 9 months; although all males between ages of 18
and 44 are liable for service, in practice they are seldom called to
duty after age 30; reserve obligation to age 35-60; 16 years of age
for volunteers to the Home Guard, who serve 6-month duty tours (2009)
Oman
18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2010)
Pakistan
17-23 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers
cannot be deployed for combat until age 18; the Pakistani Air Force
and Pakistani Navy have inducted their first female pilots and
sailors (2009)
Papua New Guinea
16 years of age for voluntary military service
(with parental consent); no conscription (2010)
Paraguay
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military
service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24
months for Navy; volunteers for the Air Force must be younger than
22 years of age with a secondary school diploma (2010)
Peru
18-30 years of age for voluntary male and female military
service; no conscription (2008)
Philippines
18-25 years of age (officers 21-29) for compulsory and
voluntary military service; applicants must be single male or female
Philippine citizens (2010)
Poland
18-28 years of age for male voluntary or compulsory military
service; service obligation shortened from 12 to 9 months in 2005;
conscription is to end in 2012; 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 noncommissioned officers; reserve obligation to age 50
(2009)
Portugal
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
compulsory military service; women serve in the armed forces, on
naval ships since 1993, but are prohibited from serving in some
combatant specialties; reserve obligation to age 35 (2010)
Qatar
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2010)
Romania
18-35 years of age for male and female voluntary military
service; conscription officially ended October 2006; all military
inductees (including women) contract for an initial 5-year term of
service, with subsequent successive contracts for 3-year terms until
age 36 (2009)
Russia
18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military
service; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age;
service obligation - 1 year (conscripts can only be sent to combat
zones after 6 months training); reserve obligation to age 50
note: over 60% of draft-age Russian males receive some type of
deferment - generally health related - each draft cycle (2009)
Rwanda
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2010)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
18 years of age for voluntary military
service; no conscription (2010)
San Marino
16-55 for voluntary service in Voluntary Military Force
(2006)
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)