CONSCRIPTION
20Countries with compulsory service
DEFENCE / MILITARY SERVICE
CONSCRIPTION IN EUROPE.
CONSCRIPTION IN EUROPE.
WHO HAS MILITARY SERVICE.
Which European countries make people do military service, which are bringing it back, and which rely on volunteers, with how long service lasts and the latest change in each. See also NATO defence spending and civil defence by country.
01 / THE MAP
CHECKED 2 NOV 2026Military service across Europe
BRINGING IT BACK
2Decided or legislating
SUSPENDED
11Could call people up again
UNITED KINGDOM
NONo plans to bring it back
- Compulsory service
- Bringing it back
- Being debated
- Suspended in peacetime
- Volunteers only
02 / COUNTRY BY COUNTRY
Country by country
| Country | Status | Length | Who | Latest change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armenia | Compulsory | 18 months | Men | Service cut from 24 to 18 months for conscripts drafted from 1 Jan 2026 | Source ↗ |
| Austria | Compulsory | 6 months (9 months civilian service) | Men | Government approved extending basic service to 9 months (6 + 3 months of exercises) from 2027 on 27 July 2026; needs a two-thirds vote in parliament, not yet passed | Source ↗ |
| Azerbaijan | Compulsory | 18 months (12 for university graduates) | Men | Officials have discussed a single 12-month term; not confirmed adopted | Source ↗ |
| Belarus | Compulsory | 18 months (12 for university graduates) | Men | No recent change found | Source ↗ |
| Croatia | Compulsory | 2 months | Men (women may volunteer) | Parliament voted to reinstate conscription on 24 Oct 2025; first intake of about 800 (354 conscripts born 2007, 446 volunteers) started in March 2026 | Source ↗ |
| Cyprus | Compulsory | 14 months | Men (women may volunteer since 2025) | April 2025 law lets women enlist voluntarily; 14-month term unchanged since 2016 | Source ↗ |
| Denmark | Compulsory | 11 months (12 in some units) | Men and women | Service extended from 4 to 11 months and conscription extended to women; first full intake of about 1,600 under the new system started 3 Aug 2026 | Source ↗ |
| Estonia | Compulsory | 8 or 11 months; 12 months from 2027 | Men (women may volunteer) | Single 12-month conscript service for everyone starting on or after 1 Jan 2027, decided Dec 2025 | Source ↗ |
| Finland | Compulsory | 165, 255 or 347 days | Men (women may volunteer) | No change to term; conscription never abolished | Source ↗ |
| Georgia | Compulsory | 6, 8 or 11 months depending on role | Men | New Defence Code from 1 Jan 2025 replaced 12-month service with tiered terms, all within the Defence Ministry | Source ↗ |
| Greece | Compulsory | 12 months (9 months in border areas) | Men | From 2026 all conscripts go to the Army (Navy and Air Force stopped taking conscripts) under the Agenda 2030 reform | Source ↗ |
| Latvia | Compulsory | 11 months | Men 18-27 (women may volunteer) | Latvia reinstated conscription in 2023; a proposal to include women from 2028 has not been adopted | Source ↗ |
| Lithuania | Compulsory | 9 months | Men 18-22, selected by lottery | Reinstated 2015. Oct 2026: plan to move to universal conscription for men 18-22 from 2032 | Source ↗ |
| Moldova | Compulsory | 12 months (3 months for graduates) | Men 18-27 | Defence ministry proposed a short (about 6-week) training course for students in March 2026; not confirmed adopted | Source ↗ |
| Norway | Compulsory | 12 months (6-19 possible) | Men and women | Conscription extended to women in 2015 | Source ↗ |
| Russia | Compulsory | 12 months | Men 18-30 | Year-round conscription in force from 1 Jan 2026 (law signed 4 Nov 2025); 2026 target 261,000 conscripts | Source ↗ |
| Sweden | Compulsory | 9-15 months | Men and women (gender-neutral) | Reactivated in 2017; about 30,000 born in 2008 called to muster from May 2026, now for military or civil service | Source ↗ |
| Switzerland | Compulsory | About 245-250 service days over several years (basic training about 18 weeks) | Men (army or civil protection; women may volunteer) | Voters rejected the Service Citoyen initiative to extend service duty to everyone, 84.2% no, on 30 Nov 2025 | Source ↗ |
| Turkey | Compulsory | 6 months (12 for reserve officers) | Men | 2019 law halved service to 6 months and made paid exemption permanent; exemption fee raised in 2026 | Source ↗ |
| Ukraine | Compulsory | Until demobilisation (martial law) | Men 25-60 mobilised; 18-24 by voluntary contract only | Mobilisation age stays at 25; one-year voluntary contracts for 18-24 year olds launched 2025 | Source ↗ |
| Germany | Returning | Voluntary service, minimum 6 months | Men must answer questionnaire; women optional | New Military Service Modernisation Act in force 1 Jan 2026: mandatory questionnaire for 18-year-old men, mandatory medical screening for men born 2008+ from 1 July 2027; Bundestag can switch on compulsory service if too few volunteer | Source ↗ |
| Serbia | Returning | 75 days (planned) | Men (women voluntary) | Conscription suspended 2011. President Vucic said in June 2026 it returns from March 2027; law still needs parliament's approval (expected autumn 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Netherlands | Debated | – | – | Conscription suspended since 1997 (law still in force). Voluntary questionnaire to 17-year-olds since Sept 2025; government says it cannot rule out conscription and is preparing a staged, selective model in case volunteers fall short | Source ↗ |
| Belgium | Suspended | – | – | Conscription suspended since 1994. New one-year voluntary military service: letters sent to about 149,000 17-year-olds in Nov 2025; first ~500 volunteers due to start in late summer 2026 | Source ↗ |
| Bulgaria | Suspended | – | – | Conscription ended in 2008. Defence minister has floated limited voluntary training for 18-year-olds; no conscription law | Source ↗ |
| Czechia | Suspended | – | – | Conscription suspended since 2005; all-volunteer army | Source ↗ |
| France | Suspended | – | – | Conscription suspended in 1997. Macron announced a new 10-month voluntary national service for 18-19 year olds on 27 Nov 2025, starting summer 2026 with 3,000 volunteers; parliament could make it compulsory in a major crisis | Source ↗ |
| Hungary | Suspended | – | – | Conscription suspended since 2004; all-volunteer army | Source ↗ |
| Italy | Suspended | – | – | Conscription suspended in 2005. Defence Minister Crosetto proposed a voluntary military reserve of up to 10,000 in Nov 2025; not a return to conscription; bill status unconfirmed | Source ↗ |
| Poland | Suspended | – | – | Conscription suspended from 2010. Large voluntary military training programme from 2026 (target about 400,000 trained in 2026); government says it is not a return of conscription | Source ↗ |
| Portugal | Suspended | – | – | Conscription ended in 2004; all-volunteer forces | Source ↗ |
| Romania | Suspended | – | – | Conscription suspended in 2007. New law creates voluntary paid basic training of up to 4 months for 18-35 year olds (1,000 places in 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Slovakia | Suspended | – | – | Conscription ended in 2006; all-volunteer forces | Source ↗ |
| Spain | Suspended | – | – | Conscription suspended in 2001; all-volunteer forces | Source ↗ |
| Albania | Voluntary | – | – | Conscription abolished in 2010; professional army | Source ↗ |
| Bosnia and Herz. | Voluntary | – | – | Professional armed forces since 2006; no conscription | Source ↗ |
| Iceland | Voluntary | – | – | No armed forces and no conscription | Source ↗ |
| Ireland | Voluntary | – | – | Has never had conscription; all-volunteer Defence Forces | Source ↗ |
| Kosovo | Voluntary | – | – | No conscription; professional Kosovo Security Force | Source ↗ |
| Luxembourg | Voluntary | – | – | Conscription abolished in 1967 | Source ↗ |
| Malta | Voluntary | – | – | No conscription; all-volunteer Armed Forces of Malta | Source ↗ |
| Montenegro | Voluntary | – | – | Conscription ended in 2006; voluntary 3-month service offered since 2019; government says return is not on its agenda | Source ↗ |
| North Macedonia | Voluntary | – | – | Conscription abolished in 2006; voluntary 3-month training offered | Source ↗ |
| Slovenia | Voluntary | – | – | Conscription abolished in 2003; professional army | Source ↗ |
| United Kingdom | Voluntary | – | – | National Service ended in 1960. Government says it has no plans to reintroduce conscription; voluntary paid Armed Forces gap year pilot for under-25s from March 2026 | Source ↗ |
The UK: The UK has had no conscription since National Service ended in 1960. In a Lords written answer on 21 July 2025, defence minister Lord Coaker said: 'This Government has no plans to reintroduce conscription.' Defence Secretary John Healey has said the UK does not need it. Instead, in December 2025 the MoD announced a voluntary, paid Armed Forces gap year (Armed Forces Foundation Scheme): a pilot for about 150 under-25s starting March 2026, with an ambition of 1,000+. The Conservatives proposed mandatory national service for 18-year-olds in the 2024 election campaign; it was not adopted.
Where the figures come from
Conscription in Europe: common questions
Is the UK bringing back conscription?
No. In July 2025 the government told Parliament it has no plans to reintroduce conscription. Instead it is piloting a voluntary, paid Armed Forces gap year for under-25s from March 2026. National Service ended in 1960.
Which European countries have conscription?
The countries shaded red on the map make men, and in some countries women, do military service. They include Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey.
Which countries are bringing conscription back?
Germany’s new military service law took effect on 1 January 2026, and Serbia plans to restart service. Croatia brought back two months of service in 2026, and Latvia reinstated it in 2023.
Do women have to do military service anywhere in Europe?
Yes: Norway, Sweden and, since 2026, Denmark call up women as well as men. The table shows who each country’s service applies to.
What does suspended mean?
The law still allows conscription, but no one is called up in peacetime. Countries such as France, Italy, Spain and Poland can bring it back if needed.