Question: How old do you have to be to enlist?

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; age lowered to 18 during wartime)
Algeria – 17 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory)
Angola – 18 (voluntary – men), 20 (voluntary – women), 20 (compulsory – men)
Antigua and Barbuda – 18 (voluntary)
Argentina – 18 (voluntary)
Armenia – 17 (military cadets), 18 (compulsory)
Australia – 18 (voluntary; 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 (other enlistment)
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 –  16 (voluntary; pre-military training can start at age 15, providing an exemption from future service; conscription possible at age 14 if there is a shortage of volunteers)
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 18 (voluntary)
Botswana – 18 (voluntary)
Brazil – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
Brunei – 17 (voluntary)
Bulgaria – 18 (voluntary)
Burkina Faso – 18 (voluntary)
Burundi – 18 (voluntary)
C
Cape Verde – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
Cambodia – 18 (compulsory)
Cameroon – 18 (voluntary)
Canada – 18 (voluntary; volunteers can join the Reserves and enter the Military Colleges at age 16, or join the regular forces at age 17 with parental consent)
Central African Republic – 18 (voluntary)
Chad – 18 (voluntary), 20 (compulsory – men), 21 (compulsory – women)
Chile – 18 (voluntary)
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; conscription not enforced)
Croatia – 18 (voluntary)
Cuba – 17 (compulsory)
Cyprus – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory for Greek Cypriots only)
Czech Republic – 18 (voluntary)
D
Denmark – 18 (compulsory)
Djibouti – 18 (voluntary; military training can start at age 16)
Dominican Republic – 17 (voluntary)
E
Ecuador – 18 (compulsory; conscription is currently suspended until further notice)
Egypt – 15 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
El Salvador – 16 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory)
Equatorial Guinea – 18 (compulsory)
Eritrea – 18 (compulsory)
Estonia – 18 (compulsory)
Eswatini (Swaziland) – 18 (voluntary)
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 during wartime)
Guatemala – 17 (compulsory)
Guinea – 18 (voluntary)
Guinea-Bissau – 16 (voluntary, with parental consent), 18 (compulsory)
Guyana – 18 (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; age 17 with parental consent)
Israel – 17 (voluntary), 18 (compulsory for Jews and Druze only)
Italy – 18 (voluntary)
J
Jamaica – 17 (voluntary)
Japan – 20 (voluntary)
Jordan – 17 (voluntary)
K
Kazakhstan – 15 (military cadets), 18 (compulsory)
Kenya – 18 (voluntary)
North Korea – 17 (compulsory)
South Korea – 18 (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 (compulsory)
Luxembourg – 18 (voluntary)
M
Macedonia – 18 (voluntary)
Madagascar – 18 (compulsory)
Malawi – 18 (voluntary)
Malaysia – 17 (voluntary)
Maldives – 18 (voluntary)
Mali – 18 (compulsory)
Malta – 18 (voluntary)
Mauritania – 18 (voluntary)
Mexico – 16 (voluntary, with parental consent), 18 (compulsory)
Moldova – 18 (compulsory)
Mongolia – 18 (compulsory)
Montenegro – 18 (voluntary)
Morocco – 20 (voluntary)
Mozambique – 18 (compulsory)
Myanmar – 18 (voluntary)
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; conscription age can be lowered to 16 during wartime)
O
Oman – 18 (voluntary)
P
Pakistan – 16 (voluntary)
Papua New Guinea – 18 (voluntary; 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)
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)
Sweden – 18 (voluntary)
Switzerland – 18 (voluntary), 19 (compulsory)
Syria – 18 (compulsory)
T
Taiwan – 18 (compulsory)
Tajikistan – 15 (military cadets), 18 (compulsory; military training starts at age 16)
Tanzania – 18 (voluntary)
Thailand – 18 (voluntary), 21 (compulsory)
Timor-Leste – 18 (voluntary)
Togo – 18 (voluntary)
Tonga – 18 (voluntary; age 16 with parental consent)
Trinidad and Tobago – 18 (voluntary; 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 – 17 (voluntary, with consent), 18 (compulsory)
United Kingdom – 18 (voluntary; age 16 with parental consent; age 17 for admission to an officer program; Nepalese citizens can join the Brigade of Gurkhas at age 17)
United States – 18 (voluntary registration),  18 (voluntary service; age 17 with parental consent), 17 (compulsory militia service under 10 U.S. Code § 246)[1]
Uruguay – 18 (voluntary)
Uzbekistan – 18 (compulsory)
V
Venezuela – 18 (compulsory)
Vietnam – 17 (military cadets), 18 (compulsory)
Y
Yemen – 18 (voluntary)
Z
Zambia – 18 (voluntary; age 16 with parental consent)
Zimbabwe – 18 (voluntary)


Online CIA publication The World Factbook