Spain

Flag of Spain

Previous reports: 2023/24




Conscription currently imposed? No

Suspended with effect from 2002

(Royal Decree 247/2001)
Conscientious objection first recognised 1978 Constitutional amendment.
CO release of professional soldiers – No specific provisions. Training expenses would have to be repaid.
Minimum recruitment age 18
Population 1
Total % males 15-19 Thus approx. annual cohort reaching 18
47,280,433 2.8% 264,770
Armed forces
Total strength Of which conscripts Compared to annual cohort above
122,200 – Total strength is 46.2% of cohort
Military expenditure
$ (% change from 2023) Per capita % of GDP
24,615m (+0.4%) $514 1.4%

Principal EBCO concerns

  • No recognition of the right to conscientious objection for professional soldiers.

As reported by the organisation Alternativa Antimilitarista:2

Conscription provisions and procedures

Compulsory military service was suspended by Law 17/1999 “Armed Forces Personnel Act”.

Conscientious objection provisions and procedures

Article 30.2 of the Constitution reads “the law shall determine the military obligations of Spaniards and shall regulate, with all due guarantees, conscientious objection as well as other grounds for exemption from compulsory military service; it may also, when appropriate, impose a community service in place of military service.”

Voluntary recruitment

Spain maintains a fully professional army. In 2024, the Ministry of Defence offered 8,062 new positions, which are open to Spanish or Latin American nationals of ages 18-28.3

The length of service initially required is between two and five years, with the possibility of extensions.

There is also a voluntary reserve force with a commitment of three years and possibility of extensions. 350 places were published for voluntary reservists in 2024, 50 more than the previous year.4

Conscientious objection during and after military service

There is no recognition of the right to conscientious objection for professional soldiers. The only option is to submit a request for voluntary discharge.

Asylum for conscientious objectors

No information was available.

  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. ⤴
  2. More info about the organisation at: https://antimilitaristas.org/⤴