Only 45% of governments worldwide require compulsory military service, a decrease from 80% in 1970. The practice of conscription dates back to ancient times and women are now drafted in over a dozen countries. Child soldiers are not included in conscription statistics, with over 18 million children serving in official and unofficial militaries worldwide.
Official conscription is becoming less common, with only about 45% of the world’s governments requiring compulsory military service. This is a decrease of almost half since 1970, when about 80% of the world’s governments used conscription. A major turning point in the conscription trend was US President Richard Nixon’s abolition of the draft in the United States in 1973.
More Conscription Facts:
The practice of conscription has been going on since at least 1700 BC, when the Babylonian Empire instituted a system of conscription. The Qin dynasty in China also required universal military service around 300 BC, but the modern conscription system really took off in the West in 1793 AD, when Napoleon implemented the first modern conscription system in France. Its success and the success of its enlisted soldiers have led other countries to do the same.
As of 2010, women were drafted in more than a dozen countries, including Israel, Cuba, and the People’s Republic of China, which has the power to conscript but has never had to due to an abundance of volunteers. .
Conscription statistics do not include forced or unofficial conscription, such as that of child soldiers. As of 2007, 50 countries were officially recruiting children under the age of 18 into their militaries, and more than 18 million children were serving in official and unofficial militaries worldwide.
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