5 Biggest Countries With Mandatory Military Service

2. North Korea

Enlistment occurs twice a year in North Korea in the months of April and August. School graduates customarily enlist themselves upon turning 18. Men are required to offer mandatory military service for a period of 10 years. Women used to serve voluntarily until 2015 when Pyongyang introduced mandatory military service for women as well, which would begin after high-school graduation and end when they turn 23. North Korea has the longest period of conscription in the world.