Conscription - Countries With and Without Mandatory Military Service

Countries With and Without Mandatory Military Service

Conscription by country — Examples
Country Land area (km2) GDP nominal (US$M) Per capita
GDP (US$)
Population Government Conscription
Albania 27,398 $11,800 $2,949.57 2,994,667 Parliamentary Democracy No (abolished in 2010)
Algeria 2,381,740 $159,000 $3,948.01 34,994,937 Republic Yes
Angola 1,246,700 $85,810 $5,003.43 13,338,541 Republic; Multiparty Presidential Regime Yes
Argentina 2,736,690 $351,000 $8,662.99 41,769,726 Republic No. Voluntary; conscription may be ordered for specified reasons; per Public Law No.24.429 promulgated on 5 January 1995.
Australia 7,617,930 $1,220,000 $44,474.51 21,766,711 Constitutional monarchy that is also a parliamentary democracy and a federation No (abolished by parliament in 1972)
Austria 82,444 $366,300 $45,598.77 8,217,280 Federal Republic Yes (alternative service available)
Bahamas 10,070 $7,538 $21,547.17 313,312 Constitutional Monarchy with a parliamentary system of government No
Bangladesh 133,910 $100,100 $481.36 158,570,535 Parliamentary Democracy No
Belgium 30,278 $461,300 $43,648.01 10,431,477 Federal Parliamentary Democracy under Constitutional Monarchy No (Conscription was abolished as of 1 January 1994 under the so-called Delacroix Bill of 6 July 1993))
Suspended (conscription suspended as of 1 January 1994)
Belize 22,806 $1,431 $4,327.67 321,115 Parliamentary Democracy No. Military service is voluntary.
Bhutan 47,000 $1,397 $561.89 708,427 Constitutional Monarchy No
Bolivia 1,084,390 $19,180 $1,446.41 10,118,683 Republic Yes (when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 51,197 $16,320 $3,246.78 4,622,163 Emerging Federal Democratic Republic No (Abolished on January 1, 2006.)
Brazil 8,456,510 $2,024,000 $6,915.40 203,429,773 Federal Republic Yes.
Bulgaria 110,550 $44,840 $5,409.09 7,093,635 Parliamentary Democracy No (abolished by law on January 1, 2008)
Myanmar 657,740 $35,650 $285.60 53,999,804 Military Junta sources differ
Yes but not enforced as of January 2011.
No (FWCC)
Canada 9,093,507 $1,564,000 $42,886.91 34,030,589 constitutional monarchy that is also a parliamentary democracy and a federation No
Chile 748,800 $199,200 $10,058.50 16,888,760 republic Yes
China 9,326,410 $5,745,000 $2,459.43 1,336,718,015 Communist State No, Legal under Constitution but has not yet been practiced in history
Croatia 56,414 $59,920 $11,430.32 4,483,804 presidential/parliamentary democracy No (abolished by law in 2008)
Cuba 110,860 $57,490 $4,000.34 11,087,330ã Communist state Yes
Cyprus 9,240 $22,750 $27,014.79 1,120,489 republic Yes
Denmark 42,394 $311,900 $57,039.71 5,529,888 constitutional monarchy Yes (alternative service available)
Djibouti 22,980 $1,139 $1,694.29 757,074 republic No
Ecuador 276,840 $56,500 $3,211.76 15,007,343 republic Yes
Egypt 995,450 $127,900 $1,592.08 81,713,520 republic Yes
El Salvador 20,720 $21,800 $2,931.75 6,071,774 republic No. Legal, not practiced.
Finland 304,473 $238,000 $46,769.47 5,259,250 republic Yes (alternative service available)
France 640,053 $2,555,000 $35,240.62 65,102,719 republic No (suspended in 2001)
Gambia 10,000 $1,040 $386.77 1,797,860 republic No
Germany 349,223 $3,306,000 $40,315.05 81,471,834 federal parliamentary republic No (suspended for peacetime by federal legislature effective from 1 July 2011)
Greece 130,800 $302,000 $29,384.60 10,760,136 parliamentary republic Yes
Grenada 344 $645 $6,557.67 108,419 parliamentary democracy No (no military service)
Hungary 92,340 $132,300 $13,901.01 9,976,062 parliamentary democracy No (Peacetime conscription abolished in 2004)
India 2,973,190 $1,099,000 $972.68 1,147,995,904 federal republic No
Indonesia 1,826,440 $695,100 $1,844.53 245,613,043 republic sources differ
Yes, selective conscription (FWCC)
No
Iran 1,636,000 $337,900 $4,497.11 77,891,220 theocratic republic Yes
Israel 20,330 $201,300 $25,191.86 7,473,052 parliamentary democracy Yes
Italy 294,020 $2,037,000 $33,599.20 61,016,804 unitary parliamentary constitutional republic "No" (De Facto from 2005) but also "Yes" (by law "legge Martino 23 August 2004, n. 226)
Jamaica 10,831 $13,740 $4,032.18 2,868,380 constitutional parliamentary democracy No
Japan 374,744 $5,391,000 $34,402.26 126,475,664 constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government No
Jordan 91,971 $27,130 $2,644.89 6,508,271 constitutional monarchy Yes. The government decided in 2007 to reintroduce conscription, which had been suspended in 1999.
North Korea 120,538 $28,000 $1,800.00 24,457,492 Communist state one-man dictatorship Yes
South Korea 98,190 $986,300 $19,514.81 48,754,657 republic Yes
Kuwait 17,820 $117,300 $44,421.22 2,595,628 constitutional emirate Yes
Lebanon 10,230 $39,150 $6,276.90 4,143,101 Sources differ No (abolished in 2007))
Libya 1,759,540 $77,910 $9,451.85 6,597,960 Caretaker government as of October 2011 Yes
Lithuania 65,300 $35,730 $10,725.96 3,535,547 parliamentary democracy No (Suspended on September 15, 2008)
Luxembourg 2,586 $52,430 $104,451.69 503,302 constitutional monarchy No
Macedonia 24,856 $9,170 $3,646.55 2,077,328 parliamentary democracy No (abolished in 2006)
Malaysia 328,550 $219,000 $7,513.71 28,728,607 constitutional monarchy No
Maldives 300 $1,433 $2,842.58 394,999 republic No
Malta 316 $7,801 $18,460.73 408,333 republic No
Mexico 1,923,040 $1,004,000 $8,218.88 113,724,226 federal republic Yes
Moldova 33,371 $5,357 $978.36 4,314,377 republic Yes
Nepal 143,181 $15,110 $333.09 29,391,883 democratic republic No
Netherlands 33,883 $770,300 $46,389.35 16,847,007 constitutional monarchy Yes. Compulsory attendance suspended. Legal, suspended since 1997 (except for Curaçao and Aruba). See also: Conscription in the Netherlands
New Zealand 268,021 $138,000 $31,124.18 4,290,347 parliamentary democracy No, Conscription Abolished in December 1972.
Norway 307,442 $413,500 $84,595 4,691,849 constitutional monarchy Yes
Pakistan 778,720 $174,800 $872.88 187,342,721 federal republic No
Philippines 298,170 $188,700 $1,582.17 101,833,938 republic Yes. Legal.
Poland 304,459 $470,000 $10,911.71 38,441,588 republic No (ended in 2009)
Portugal 91,951 $223,700 $20,981.25 10,636,979 parliamentary republic No (abolished in 2004 but there remains a symbolic military obligation to all 18-year-old people, from both sexes. It called National Defense Day, (Dia da Defesa Nacional in Portuguese)).
Qatar 11,437 $126,500 $74,688.97 848,016 emirate No
Romania 230,340 $158,400 $7,451.95 21,904,551 republic No (ended in 2007)
Russia 16,995,800 $1,290,000 $9,124.49 140,702,096 federation Yes (alternative service available)
Rwanda 24,948 $5,693 $335.10 10,186,063 republic; presidential No
Saudi Arabia 2,149,690 $434,400 $13,622.68 26,131,703 monarchy No
Seychelles 455 $919 $10,621.21 89,188 republic Yes
Singapore 682.7 $233,900 $35,427.12 4,740,737 parliamentary republic Yes
Slovenia 20,151 $46,440 $22,933.99 2,000,092 parliamentary republic No
Sweden 410,934 $444,600 $50,414.75 9,088,728 Constitutional monarchy, Unitary parliamentary representative democracy No (ended in 2010)
South Africa 1,219,912 $354,400 $6,423.04 49,004,031 republic No (ended in 1994, formalized in 2002)
Spain 499,542 $1,375,000 $35,576.37 46,754,784 parliamentary monarchy No (abolished by law on December 31, 2001)
Swaziland 17,203 $3,165 $2,591.20 1,370,424 monarchy No
Switzerland 39,770 $522,400 $56,111.06 7,639,961 a confederation only in name, legally and structurally a federal republic Yes (Alternative service available)
Syria 184,050 $59,630 $1,954.98 19,747,586 republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime Yes
Taiwan 32,260 $427,000 $16,768.11 23,071,779 multiparty democracy Yes (alternative service available)

An all-volunteer force is planned by the end of 2014, but conscription will remain in practice thereafter.

Thailand 511,770 $312,600 $3,776.0 66,720,153 constitutional monarchy Yes
Tonga 718 $301 $1,873.06 105,916 constitutional monarchy No
Trinidad and Tobago 5,128 $21,200 $19,590.99 1,227,505 parliamentary democracy No
Turkey 770,760 $729,100 $9,322.83 78,785,548 republican parliamentary democracy Yes
Ukraine 603,700 $136,600 $3,034.57 45,134,707 Republic Yes
United Kingdom 241,590 $2,259,000 $45,626.38 62,698,362 constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth realm No (abolished December 31, 1960, except Bermuda Regiment)
United States 9,161,923 $14,620,000 $45,958.70 313,232,044 federal republic No Draft abolished in 1975 by President Gerald Ford; however Males between 18–25 need to register with the U.S. Selective Service System.
Vanuatu 12,200 $721 $2,146.52 224,564 parliamentary republic No
Venezuela 882,050 $285,200 $9,084.09 27,635,743 federal republic Yes

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