Which countries require military service for women?

Denmark is the latest country to introduce military conscription for women. On March 25, Copenhagen announced that young women who turn 18 after July 1 of this year could be drafted by national lottery starting in January 2026 if the military does not attract enough volunteers. The measure is being put into place two years earlier than planned amid rising geopolitical tensions in Europe.

Around 25% of voluntary recruits are currently women, according to the Danish Armed Forces. Compulsory military service, which was already in place for men, lasts between four and 12 months, depending on what recruits decide to do after their three-month basic training.

Pioneers of military equality

Women are also required to serve in the armed forces in Norway and Sweden.

Norway has had universal conscription since January 2015, while in Sweden, conscription was abolished in 2010 and then reactivated in January 2018 to include both men and women aged 18 and over. The duration of military service is between six and 15 months. Around 20% of all military personnel are female.

In the Netherlands, conscription also applies to women, although compulsory military service as a whole has been suspended since 1997.

Conscription laws in Israel have required women to serve in the armed forces since 1949, though only for two years, while men serve for three. In June 2024, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that ultra-Orthodox Jews, who were previously exempt from this obligation, will now also serve in the military, though this ruling only applies to men.

More women recruits in Africa and Asia

A significant number of African countries conscript women too. In the East African state of Eritrea, the duration of compulsory military service is 16 months for both men and women.

Women are also required to serve in Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mozambique, Cape Verde and Niger.

There is also conscription for women in Ivory Coast, though it is not enforced.

In Mozambique, the government declared in 2024 that selective compulsory service could be increased from two to up to five years.

The Asian countries of Burma, China, East Timor and North Korea also have conscription.

In North Korea, women have been required to perform military service since 2015, and the minimum age is 17. Depending on their level of education, this can last several years.

In East Timor, compulsory military service for men and women between the ages of 18 and 30 was decided in 2020, with a service period of 18 months. However, it is not clear how the obligation will be implemented.

In China, women aged 18 to 19 who have completed school and meet the requirements for certain military professions are subject to compulsory military service.

More women volunteering

In most countries, military service for women remains voluntary. In the United States, where around 200,000 female soldiers comprise around 14% of the country's military personnel, women have been serving in combat units since 1993. Since then, the country has opened up all military pursuits to women, including deployment in ground forces and submarines.

In many other countries, including the United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada, Spain, France, Poland, Australia, Greece, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Bolivia, Japan, South Korea and Germany, a career in the military is also open to women who wish to pursue it.

In Ukraine, which has been fighting against Russia's war of aggression since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, there is no compulsory military service for women. Still, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has reported that 68,000 women currently serve in the army. While this is 40% more than in 2021, it remains only a fraction of the current 900,000 active duty male soldiers.

Women are also fighting for Russia. In October 2024, the country's first all-female volunteer combat unit was founded amid its war on Ukraine. The "Night Witches" unit of female drone pilots is named after a Soviet women's aviation regiment from the Second World War.

Sources: CIA Factbook, World Population Review, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Bolivian Ministry of Defense, War Resisters International, House of Commons Library.

This article originally appeared in German.