The 24 countries with the longest mandatory military service in the world
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- Twenty-four countries have mandatory military service of up to two years or more.
- Countries in Africa and Asia dominate the list, with Cuba being the only non-Afro-Asian nation.
- North Korea and Mozambique have the longest programs, conscripting people for more than five years.
Ever since the last draft call was issued in the US on December 7, 1972, during the Vietnam War, Americans haven't had to give much thought to military conscription.
While 18-year-old men are required to register for the draft, the Selective Service plans to implement automatic registration by the end of the year, taking the burden of registration off draft-eligible individuals.
Michael Lynch, a research professor of national security at the Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College, said he doesn't think the draft is coming back to the US anytime soon.
"I don't think there's any appetite for it on the military side," he told Business Insider, citing the lack of need for a mass Army and the fact that a draft would require Congressional authorization.
But in dozens of other countries around the world, men and women are conscripted for military training or active duty service. Service obligations are typically based on age, gender, and level of education.
Lynch said a country's reasons for implementing conscription can vary. Some countries with authoritarian governments or military regimes may use it as a means of control, he said, whereas others may require it because of nearby regional conflicts or potential threats.
"Some keep conscription in place because they're simply in a tough neighborhood," Lynch said. For example, Finland has small selective conscription requirements largely because of its shared border with Russia, which invaded neighboring Ukraine in 2022.
Using data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies' (IISS) Military Balance 2026 report, archived CIA World Factbook information (from before it shut down in February), and additional country-level reporting, Business Insider compiled a list of nations whose laws require up to 24 months or more of military service. In some cases, the reported requirements and real-world practice can vary, and reliable public data is limited.
See the 24 countries with mandatory service that can reach two years or more.
AngolaA member of the Angolan security forces monitors an empty road in 2024.ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: Up to 24 months
Demographic: Men aged 20 to 45 years old
"Angola's length of service can vary depending on the needs of the military," the legal publication Law Gratis reported, and the country may allow for non-combat or civil service for conscientious objectors.
Cabo VerdeSoldiers of Cabo Verde's Presidential Honor Guard.Picture Alliance/DPA via Getty Images
Service length: Varies, 14-24 months
Demographic: Men and women aged 18 to 35 years old
Conscription is compulsory under Cabo Verde's constitution, but per the US Department of State, a law allows for conscientious objection on religious grounds.
ChadMembers of Chad's defense forces march during an Independence Day parade.Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
Service length: 18-36 months for men; 12 months for women
Demographic: Men at least 20 years old; women at least 21 years old
Information varies on Chad's military conscription. Soldiers who finish active duty service remain in the reserves until age 50.
CubaCuban troops participate in a military parade in honor of Fidel Castro in 2017.YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: 24 months
Demographic: Men aged 17 to 28 years old
For men who have finished high school and are planning to attend higher education, only 12 months are required, per the US Department of State.
EgyptHigh school drop outs must serve a full three years in the Egyptian military.KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: Varies, up to 36 months
Demographic: Men aged 18 to 30 years old
Length of mandatory service in Egypt varies based on education, with high-school dropouts serving three full years and those who received higher education serving less. The CIA World Factbook notes that a sizable portion of Egypt's military consists of conscripts.
Equatorial GuineaMilitary guards in Equatorial Guinea ahead of a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations soccer match.Mohamed Hossam/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Service length: 18-24 months
Demographic: Men aged 18 years old
Equatorial Guinea has selective compulsory military service by law, although conscription in the West African nation is uncommon.
EritreaMilitary flag-bearers proceed during an Independence Day celebration in Barentu, Eritrea.J. Countess/Getty Images
Service length: At least 18 months, but often significantly longer
Demographic: Men and women aged 18 to 40 years old
While the minimum service duration on the books in Eritrea is 18 months, most conscripts serve years in practice, with effectively an open-ended mandatory service duration.
Guinea-BissauHigh-ranking officers of the Guinea-Bissau army.PATRICK MEINHARDT/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: Estimates vary, possibly 24 months
Demographic: Men and women aged 18 to 25 years old
Neighboring Guinea-Bissau also has selective compulsory service. The service requirement in 1991 was two years, according to Amnesty International, though it's unclear if this has been amended since.
IranMembers of the Iranian police special force.NurPhoto via Getty Images
Service length: Up to 24 months
Demographic: Men aged 18 to 40 years old
Conscription length in Iran can vary based on region and other factors. The CIA World Factbook notes that conscripts serve in both wings of Iran's army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Artesh, as well as in law enforcement.
IsraelMost Israelis must complete a mandatory service of roughly three years upon turning 18.Pool/Getty Images
Service length: Varies, usually 32 months for men, 24 months for women; officers can serve up to 48 months
Demographic: Men and women 18 years of age
Conscription in Israel can depend on ethnicity. Jews, Druze, and Circassians are conscripted, while service is voluntary for Christians and some Muslims.
Lynch said that in countries with modern democratic governments, the public's acceptance of conscription can depend on how it's carried out.
"In democracies and westernized nations, the more coercion you put into conscription, the less support you're going to have," he said. Lynch also said that a sense of nationalism contributes to support for conscription.
MaliSoldiers of the Malian Armed Forces saluting.MICHELE CATTANI/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: 24 months
Demographic: Men and women aged 18 years old
Following two coups in 2020 and 2021, Mali has been ruled by a military junta. The current status of conscription is unclear.
MozambiqueMembers of the Mozambique military at an Independence Day parade.ALFREDO ZUNIGA/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: Five to six years
Demographic: Men and women aged 18 to 35 years old
Beginning in 2024, Mozambique's parliament raised the duration of service from 2 years to 6 years or more in an effort to increase its military might, per DNE Africa.
According to the US Department of State, the country recognizes the right to conscientious objection, but also reserves the right to suspend it during times of war or emergency.
MyanmarBurmese soldiers patrol in Myanmar.ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: At least 24 months
Demographic: Men aged 18 to 35 years; women aged 18 to 27
After a 2021 coup sparked widespread armed resistance and civil unrest in Myanmar, conscription was enacted in 2024 to help make up for significant losses on the battlefield, according to IISS' 2026 Military Balance report.
NigerMembers of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, Niger's ruling military junta.Boureima Hama/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: 24 months
Demographic: Men and women aged 18 years old
Niger requires two years of mandatory military service by law. While the current status of service requirements is unclear after a 2023 coup, the ruling military junta, the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, has approved a "general mobilization" that orders military conscription, Al Jazeera reported in 2025.
North KoreaSoldiers march during a North Korean military parade.Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
Service length: Heavily varies, 5 to 13 years
Demographic: Men and women aged 17 years old
North Korea has the lengthiest official conscription program in the world, requiring 5 to 13 years of service. The CIA World Factbook noted that conscripts in combat units could serve up to 10 years, while those in units such as missile forces could serve up to 13 years. Women are required to serve shorter tenures than men. Part-time service is compulsory until age 40, per IISS.
The CIA reported "as many as 20% of North Korean males between the ages of 16 and 54 are in the military at a given time," and the military is mostly comprised of conscripts.
According to Lynch, conscription serves a unique purpose in autocratic countries.
"In a lot of authoritarian countries, conscription serves as a method of control," he said. "It's the idea of, 'We don't want guns in the hands of people who could rise up against us, so let's make them our army.'"
SenegalMembers of the Senegalese army in Camp Geille, Senegal.Patrick Meinhardt/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: 24 months
Demographic: Men and women aged 19 years old
The IISS report notes that Senegal has selective conscription, and a 2001 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees report noted that enlistment is largely voluntary.
Lynch said that for a military, impassioned volunteers are almost always preferred over conscripts.
"Generally speaking, a volunteer force is going to be better than draftees, because human nature is to push against what you're forced to do," he said.
SingaporeSingapore soldiers march during a parade.SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: 24 months
Demographic: Men aged 18 to 21 years old
The CIA World Factbook reported that some conscripts serve in Singapore's Police Force or Civil Defense Force rather than the military. Conscripts make up more than half of the country's armed forces.
South SudanSouth Sudanese soldiers march with their national flag.PHIL MOORE/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: 12-24 months
Demographic: Men aged 18 years old
South Sudan has received scrutiny for its recruitment of child soldiers, per Human Rights Watch.
SudanSudanese army soldiers.AFP via Getty Images
Service length: 24 months
Demographic: Men and women aged 18 to 30 years old
Sudan has 104,300 active troops and 60,000 gendarmerie and paramilitary, per IISS.
TajikistanSoldiers march during an Independence Day parade in Tajikistan.Anadolu/Getty Images
Service length: 24 months
Demographic: Men aged 18 to 27 years old
In Tajikistan, men can pay a fee to the government and complete a one-month military training course to avoid conscription.
ThailandMembers of the Royal Thai Armed Forces.Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images
Service length: Varies, typically 24 months
Demographic: Men aged 21 years old
The duration of mandatory service in Thailand can vary based on educational qualifications.
Thailand's draft takes the form of a lottery system, in which eligible draftees can choose between 6 to 12 months of voluntary military service or enter a conscription lottery.
TurkmenistanTurkmen servicemen stand during a military parade.IGOR SASIN/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: 24 months
Demographic: Men aged 18 to 27 years old
In Turkmenistan, the president signs decrees ordering conscription. In 2022, the government required that all students studying abroad must return for military service despite being exempted from conscription by law, Radio Free Europe reported.
United Arab EmiratesA contingent force from the United Arab Emirates.Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: Varies, up to 36 months
Demographic: Men aged 18 to 30 years old
Service duration in the UAE varies by education. For men who haven't completed secondary education, the obligation is three years.
VietnamVietnamese People's Army soldiers march during an Independence Day parade.Nhac NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images
Service length: 24-36 months
Demographic: Men aged 18 to 27 years old
Service length in Vietnam varies by branch of the military, with the country's army and air defense requiring two years, and the navy and air force requiring three.
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