Table 5: Military Service Ages (part 3 of 4)

Military service ages
Country Compulsory military training in schools from: Optional school programme towards obligatory military service from: Admission to military training establishments from: Volunteers legally accepted for training from: become fully incorporated in active units Performance of military service optional from: Registration for obligatory military service Call-up for obligatory military service Liability until: Reserve duties until:
Laos         17?     18? 26  
Lebanon       17 18     18 30  
Lesotho       18            
Libya 16             18 35  
Lithuania       18     16 19 26 35
Luxembourg       17            
Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of           18 17 19 27 55
Malaysia     17 17            
Maldives       16            
Malta       17.5            
Mauretania       16     17 18    
Mexico nk   15 16     17/18 18/19 40  
Moldova     17       16 18 27  
Mongolia             18 19 25  
Morocco         18     20    
Mozambique       18     18 20    
Namibia       18            
Nepal       15 18          
Netherlands       17     17 18 45  
New Zealand       17            
Nicaragua     17              
Norway         18     18/19 30 43/44
Oman       to 30 18          
Qatar         18          
Pakistan       16 18          
Papua New Guinea       16            
Paraguay           nk 17 18   50
Peru       18     17      
Philippines     17  to 29     18   25  
Poland       17       18 28 50
Portugal     <18 18            
Romania     15         20 35 50
Russian Federation     16       16/17 18 27 50
Sao Tome       17       18    
Senegal       18       20    
Serbia- Montenegro       16?     16/17 17/18 35 60
Singapore       16.5     16 18    

General Explanations

  • S obligatory military service referred to currently suspended
  • nk precise age not known
  • 16/17 format used when the legislation refers to a calendar year of the seventeenth birthday or in similar circumstances.
  • <18 specific rules (usually of parental permission)  apply the age stated without their being an explicitly stated minimum age
  • ? evidence unclear or ambiguous