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 (voluntary)
 * Albania – 19 (voluntary)
 * Algeria – 17 (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 (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)
 * 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 (voluntary)
 * People's Republic of China - 18 (compulsory)
 * 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 - 17 (voluntary)

E

 * Ecuador - 18 (voluntary)
 * 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)
 * 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)
 * 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 (voluntary)
 * 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 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 (compulsory)
 * 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 - 18 (compulsory)
 * 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 (voluntary; volunteers can join 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)