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 – 22 (voluntary)
 * Albania – 19 (voluntary)
 * Algeria – 19 (compulsory)
 * Angola – 22 (compulsory)
 * Antigua and Barbuda – 18 (voluntary)
 * Argentina – 18 (voluntary)
 * Armenia – 18 (compulsory)
 * Australia – 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join at age 17 with parental consent)
 * Austria – 16 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
 * Azerbaijan – 18 (compulsory)

B

 * Bahamas – 18 (voluntary)
 * Bahrain – 17 (voluntary; NCOs, cadets and technicians can be recruited from the age of 15)
 * Bangladesh – 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join from the ages of 16 for enlisted and 17 for officers respectively with parental consent)
 * Barbados - 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join at an earlier age with parental consent)
 * Belarus - 18 (compulsory)
 * Belgium - 18 (voluntary)
 * Belize - 18 (voluntary)
 * Benin - 18 (voluntary), 21 (compulsory)
 * Bhutan - 18 (voluntary)
 * Bolivia - 18 (compulsory; when annual number of volunteers is low, recruits as young as 14 are conscripted; volunteers can start military training from the age of 15, exempting them from compulsory service)
 * Bosnia and Herzegovina - 18 (voluntary)
 * Botswana - 18 (voluntary)
 * Brazil - 17 (voluntary), 21 (compulsory)
 * Brunei - 18 (voluntary)
 * Bulgaria - 18 (voluntary)
 * Burkina Faso - 18 (voluntary)
 * Burma - 18 (voluntary; illegal conscription of children as young as 12, despite being prohibited, still continues)
 * Burundi - No de jure enlistment age (recruits require a primary school certificate; voluntary service)

C

 * Cambodia - 18 (compulsory)
 * Cameroon - 18 (voluntary)
 * Canada - 18 (voluntary; 16 year olds can join the reserves or the Military College; volunteers can join the regular forces from the age of 17 with parental consent.)
 * Cape Verde - 18 (compulsory)
 * Central African Republic - 18 (compulsory)
 * Chad - 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join at an earlier age with parental consent), 20 (compulsory - men), 21 (compulsory - women)
 * Chile - 18 (voluntary)
 * People's Republic of China - 18 (compulsory; de jure no minimum age for volunteers)
 * Colombia - 18 (compulsory)
 * Democratic Republic of the Congo - 18 (voluntary)
 * Republic of the Congo - 18 (voluntary)
 * Côte d'Ivoire - 18 (compulsory)
 * Croatia - 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join from the age of 16 with parental consent)
 * Cuba - 17 (compulsory)
 * Cyprus - 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
 * Czech Republic - 18 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory)

D

 * Denmark - 18 (compulsory)
 * Djibouti - 18 (voluntary; volunteers can start military training from the age of 16)
 * Dominican Republic - 18 (voluntary)

E

 * Ecuador - 20 (compulsory)
 * Egypt - 18 (compulsory)
 * El Salvador - 16 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
 * Equatorial Guinea - 18 (compulsory)
 * Eritrea - 18 (compulsory)
 * Estonia - 16 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
 * Ethiopia - 18 (compulsory)

F

 * Fiji - 18 (voluntary)
 * Finland - 18 (compulsory)
 * France - 17 (voluntary)

G

 * Gabon - 20 (compulsory)
 * Gambia - 18 (voluntary)
 * Georgia - 18 (compulsory)
 * Germany - 18 (compulsory)
 * Ghana - 18 (voluntary)
 * Greece - 17 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory; conscription age is lowered to 17 during wartime)
 * Guatemala - 18 (compulsory)
 * Guinea - 18 (compulsory)
 * Guinea-Bissau - 16 (voluntary, with parental consent), 18 (compulsory)
 * Guyana - 18 (voluntary)

H

 * Honduras - 18 (voluntary)
 * Hungary - 18 (voluntary)

I

 * India - 16 (voluntary)
 * Indonesia - 18 (compulsory)
 * Iran - 15 (voluntary service in the Basij militia), 16 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory)
 * Iraq - 18 (voluntary)
 * Ireland - 17 (voluntary; volunteers can be recruited from the age of 16 for specialist positions)
 * Israel - 18 (compulsory; only Jewish and Druze citizens are subjected to conscription)
 * Italy - 18 (voluntary)

J

 * Jamaica - 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join at an earlier age with parental consent)
 * Japan - 18 (voluntary)
 * Jordan - 17 (voluntary)

K

 * Kazakhstan - 18 (compulsory)
 * Kenya - 18 (voluntary)
 * North Korea - 17 (compulsory)
 * South Korea - 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory)
 * Kuwait - 18 (compulsory)
 * Kyrgyzstan - 18 (compulsory)

L

 * Laos - 15 (compulsory)
 * Latvia - 18 (voluntary)
 * Lebanon - 18 (voluntary)
 * Lesotho - 18 (voluntary)
 * Liberia - 16 (voluntary)
 * Libya - 17 (voluntary)
 * Lithuania - 18 (voluntary)
 * Luxembourg - 17 (voluntary)

M

 * 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 - 17 (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 - 19 (military service is voluntary)
 * Morocco - 18 (military service is voluntary)
 * Mozambique - 18 (military service is compulsory)

N

 * Namibia - 18 (military service is voluntary)
 * Nepal - 18 (military service is voluntary; volunteers can start military training from the age of 15.)
 * Netherlands - 20 (military service is voluntary)
 * New Zealand - 17 (military service is voluntary)
 * Nicaragua - 17 (military service is voluntary)
 * Niger - 17 (military service is voluntary)
 * 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.)

O

 * Oman - 18 (military service is voluntary)

P

 * Pakistan - 16 (military service is voluntary; soldiers are not deployed in combat zones before the age of 18.)
 * Papua New Guinea - 16 (military service is voluntary)
 * Paraguay - 18 (military service is compulsory)
 * Peru - 18 (military service is voluntary)
 * Philippines - 18 (military service is voluntary)
 * Poland - 17 (military service is voluntary)
 * Portugal - 18 (military service is voluntary)

Q

 * Qatar - 18 (military service is voluntary)

R

 * Romania - 18 (military service is voluntary)
 * Russia - 18 (military service is compulsory; men have to register for the draft at age 17.)
 * Rwanda - 18 (military service is voluntary)

S

 * Saint Kitts and Nevis - 18 (military service is voluntary)
 * São Tomé and Príncipe - 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 by 2010.)
 * Seychelles - 18 (military service is voluntary; volunteers can join earlier with parental consent.)
 * Sierra Leone - 17 (military service is voluntary; volunteers can join earlier with parental consent.)
 * 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 - 18 (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 compulsory)
 * Switzerland - 18 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory)
 * Syria - 18 (military service is compulsory)

T

 * 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; volunteers can join from the age of 16 with parental consent.)
 * Tunisia - 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory)
 * Turkey - 20 (military service is compulsory)
 * Turkmenistan - 18 (military service is compulsory)

U

 * Uganda - 13 (voluntary, with parental consent), 18 (compulsory)
 * Ukraine - 18 (military service is compulsory)
 * United Arab Emirates - 18 (military service is voluntary)
 * United Kingdom - 18 (military service is voluntary; volunteers can join at age 15 years and 9 months old with parental consent; must be at least 17 years old for admission to an officer program)
 * United States - 18 (military service is voluntary; volunteers can join at age 17 with parental consent)
 * Uruguay - 18 (military service is voluntary, although compulsory recruitment is being retained.)
 * Uzbekistan - 18 (military service is compulsory)

V

 * Venezuela - 18 (military service is compulsory)
 * Vietnam - 18 (military service is compulsory)

Y

 * Yemen - 18 (military service is compulsory)

Z

 * Zambia - 18 (military service is voluntary; volunteers can join at the age of 16 with parental consent.)
 * Zimbabwe - 18 (military service is voluntary)