Germany

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Previous reports: 2023/24




Conscription currently imposed? No

Suspended 2011 under Act Amending the Law on Military Service (BT-Drs 17/2841)

Could be reinstated in time of war.
Conscientious objection first recognised 1949

Grundgesetz Article 4

Law on Military Service, 1956
CO release of professional soldiers Yes Kriegsdienstverweigerergesetz applies equally to conscripts and professional soldiers. However in some circumstances release may bear a financial penalty.
Minimum recruitment age 17 For voluntary service
Population 1
Total % males 15-19 Thus approx. annual cohort reaching 18
84,119,100 2.3% 386,948
Armed forces
Total strength Of which conscripts Compared to annual cohort above
179,850 – Total strength is 46.5% of cohort
Military expenditure
$ (% change from 2023) Per capita % of GDP
88,459m (+28.3%) $1,044 1.9%

Developments

In 2024, the Federal Minister of Defence submitted a draft of the “Act on the Modernisation of Military of military service regulations and the introduction of a new military service” for consultation, which would see the reintroduction of military registers and monitoring through digital questionnaires.2

Young men of age 18 will be obliged to complete the questionnaires, while women can do so voluntarily. The online questionnaire is used to collect personal data, interest, and willingness to perform military service.

The aim of the Ministry of Defence's campaign is to recruit more young people into the Bundeswehr. The military is planning to create around 3,000 additional posts each year in the coming years. The new military service is still intended to be voluntary military service with a duration of 6-23 months.

As the governing coalition in Germany collapsed in December 24, it remains unclear whether the act will be implemented in 2025.

Conscription provisions and procedures

Compulsory military service was suspended in Germany in 2011, but not abolished. It can automatically be reinstated in a state of emergency or war.

In case of war, all men aged 18-60 could be called up. In the event of full mobilisation for war, all reservists would also be called up. Exceptions, for example for health reasons, would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

In their election manifestos, the conservative parties are talking about either a return to general compulsory military service or a general conscription requirement. As in Scandinavian countries, this would allow those who are fit for military service to be drafted into the Bundeswehr.

The question of compulsory military service raises the question of the relationship between civilian and military service, the relationship between service and freedom. In December 2024, the Working Group Services for Peace (AGDF) together with the Protestant Association for Conscientious Objection and Peace (EAK) presented a position paper on this.3 In view of the discussions about general compulsory service and the reactivation of conscription in peacetime or the redesign of compulsory military service, both emphasise the priority of civil conflict resolution and civil voluntary peace service.

Conscientious objection provisions and procedures

In case of emergency or war, conscientious objectors can be called up for civilian service under the Civilian Service Act (ZDG).4

In 2024 (as of 31 October 2024), 2,468 applications for conscientious objection were received.5 The majority of these applications were submitted by unserved conscientious objectors (1492) and by reservists (840 applications). 136 active military servicemen and women submitted applications. This means that the number of applications has once again increased compared to the previous year.

By 30 September 2024, 1,035 applications for conscientious objection had been recognised and 236 applications rejected. 55 other applications were rejected due to incompleteness.

Voluntary recruitment

Voluntary service in the Bundeswehr is permitted from the age of 17 with the consent of the parents.

  1. Population and armed forces figures are derived from The Military Balance 2025, published by the international Institute for Strategic Studies; military expenditure figures are estimates published by SIPRI (The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) in April 2025. ⤴
  4. Article 79 of the Civilian Service Act (Zivildienst der Kriegsdienstverweigerer). See also parliamentary question of Die Linke and response by the Federal Government on 16 October 2024. https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/20/133/2013395.pdf⤴