Special Report

Men and Women Have To Join the Military in These 13 Countries

Samuel Stebbins

Published: November 29, 2023 7:34 am

The U.S. military has been an all-volunteer force for the last five decades. But for most of the 20th century, conscription was the norm. From World War I through Vietnam, millions of young American men were drafted into military service. (This is what the U.S. spent on the military every year since 1970.)

While the military draft is now a relic of the past in the United States, there are still many countries where military service can be mandatory for young men and women.

Using data compiled by the CIA World Factbook, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 13 countries with mandatory military service for both men and women. Countries are listed in alphabetical order. We also reviewed data on military spending in current U.S. dollars, military spending as a share of GDP, and population figures from the World Bank. All World Bank data is as of 2021. 

This list includes both democratic nations and authoritarian regimes. In some of these countries, active conscription is a means of bolstering military ranks to ensure preparedness and deter adversaries. In other cases, conscription is justified by active, ongoing conflict. These places include Benin, Chad, Mozambique, and Sudan, which have been combating terrorist insurgencies for years.

There are notable variations in conscription policies among these countries. In seven of the 13 countries on this list, conscription is selective, and not all citizens serve. Even in places without selective service, such as Chad and Niger, women can opt for roles in health care or civil service in lieu of the military. In Israel, only residents of the Jewish or Druze faith are required to serve. 

Required length of service also varies, but typically, mandatory conscription only lasts for about two years or less for any individual. Exceptions include North Korea, where men are required to serve for seven years, and Eritrea, where conscription can reportedly be extended indefinitely. (Here is a look at the 25 countries where the most people serve in the military.)

Here are 13 countries with required military service for men and women.

1. Benin

Source: peeterv / E+ via Getty Images

• Military conscription stipulations: Selective conscription, requires 18 months of service
• Eligible demographic cohort: Men and women with a higher education diploma ages 18-35
• 2021 military spending: $97.4 million (0.6% of GDP)
• Regime classification: Authoritarian-democratic hybrid
• Global region: Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
• Population: 12,996,895 (50.1% male, 49.9% female)

2. Cape Verde

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Military conscription stipulations: Selective conscription, requires 24 months of service
• Eligible demographic cohort: Men and women ages 18-35
• 2021 military spending: $11.2 million (0.5% of GDP)
• Regime classification: N/A
• Global region: Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
• Population: 587,925 (49.7% male, 50.3% female)

3. Chad

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Military conscription stipulations: 18-36 months of service for men, 12 months for women (can opt for civic service)
• Eligible demographic cohort: Men at age 20, women at age 21
• 2021 military spending: $331.0 million (2.8% of GDP)
• Regime classification: Authoritarian
• Global region: Middle Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
• Population: 17,179,740 (50.2% male, 49.8% female)

4. Eritrea

Source: hugy / iStock via Getty Images

• Military conscription stipulations: 18 months of service minimum
• Eligible demographic cohort: Men ages 18-40, women ages 18-27 (during mobilization, citizens as old as 55 can be conscripted)
• Military spending: N/A
• Regime classification: Authoritarian
• Global region: Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
• Population: 3,620,312 (49.3% male, 50.7% female)

5. Israel

Israel-06230 - Israel Defence ... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Dennis Jarvis

• Military conscription stipulations: 32 months of service for men, 24 months for women
• Eligible demographic cohort: Men and women of Jewish or Druze faith at age 18
• 2021 military spending: $24.3 billion (5.2% of GDP)
• Regime classification: Flawed Democracy
• Global region: Western Asia, The Middle East
• Population: 9,364,000 (49.9% male, 50.1% female)

6. Mali

Source: dutourdumonde / iStock via Getty Images

• Military conscription stipulations: Selective conscription, requires 24 months of service
• Eligible demographic cohort: Men and women at age 18
• 2021 military spending: $558.4 million (2.8% of GDP)
• Regime classification: Authoritarian
• Global region: Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
• Population: 21,904,983 (50.5% male, 49.5% female)

7. Morocco

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Military conscription stipulations: 12 months of service
• Eligible demographic cohort: Men and women ages 19-25
• 2021 military spending: $5.4 billion (4.2% of GDP)
• Regime classification: Authoritarian-democratic hybrid
• Global region: Northern Africa
• Population: 37,076,584 (50.3% male, 49.7% female)

8. Mozambique

Source: Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images via Getty Images

• Military conscription stipulations: Selective conscription, requires 24 months of service
• Eligible demographic cohort: Men and women ages 18-35
• 2021 military spending: $248.5 million (1.5% of GDP)
• Regime classification: Authoritarian
• Global region: Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
• Population: 32,077,072 (49.1% male, 50.9% female)

9. Niger

Army partners with Republic of... (CC BY 2.0) by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

• Military conscription stipulations: Selective conscription, requires 24 months of service (women may opt to serve in health care)
• Eligible demographic cohort: Unmarried men and women at age 18
• 2021 military spending: $202.4 million (1.8% of GDP)
• Regime classification: Authoritarian
• Global region: Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
• Population: 25,252,722 (50.7% male, 49.3% female)

10. North Korea

Source: alexkuehni / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

• Military conscription stipulations: 7 years of service for men, 5 years for women
• Eligible demographic cohort: Men and women at age 17
• 2018 military spending: $1.6 billion
• Regime classification: Authoritarian
• Global region: Eastern Asia
• Population: 25,971,909 (49.5% male, 50.5% female)

11. Norway

Source: Photo Beto / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

• Military conscription stipulations: Selective conscription, requires 19 months of service
• Eligible demographic cohort: Men and women ages 19-35
• 2021 military spending: $8.3 billion (1.8% of GDP)
• Regime classification: Full Democracy
• Global region: Northern Europe
• Population: 5,408,320 (50.4% male, 49.6% female)

12. Sudan

Source: Mina_Fouad / Getty Images

• Military conscription stipulations: 12-24 months of service
• Eligible demographic cohort: Men and women ages 18-33
• 2021 military spending: $375.2 million (1.0% of GDP)
• Regime classification: Authoritarian
• Global region: Northern Africa
• Population: 45,657,202 (50.0% male, 50.0% female)

13. Sweden

The Royal Guard (CC BY 2.0) by Carl Nenzu00c3u0083u00c2u00a9n Lovu00c3u0083u00c2u00a9n

• Military conscription stipulations: Selective conscription, requires 9-12 months of service
• Eligible demographic cohort: Men and women ages 18-27
• 2021 military spending: $7.9 billion (1.3% of GDP)
• Regime classification: Full Democracy
• Global region: Northern Europe
• Population: 10,415,811 (50.4% male, 49.6% female)