As of 2026, NATO comprises 32 member states. However, the majority of Alliance members - 21 countries - have abolished compulsory military service, and Iceland remains the only member of the bloc without its own regular armed forces. This was reported by Dengi.ua , citing infographics from “Slovo i Dilo.”
Canada was the first to abolish conscription, back in 1945. In the 1960s, the United Kingdom and Luxembourg made similar decisions, and in 1973, the United States abolished mandatory military service amid mass protests against the Vietnam War.
After the end of the Cold War, Belgium and the Netherlands abandoned conscription - in 1995 and 1997, respectively. At the beginning of the 21st century, France and Spain followed suit.
Most of the former Warsaw Pact countries also gradually transitioned to professional armies. Before or shortly after joining NATO, compulsory military service was abolished in Slovenia (2003), Hungary and the Czech Republic (2005), Slovakia (2006), North Macedonia and Romania (2007), Bulgaria (2008), and then Albania (2010).
Poland, which joined NATO in 1999, did not completely abandon conscription until 2010. A year later, Germany made a similar decision. The last NATO member state to switch exclusively to a volunteer-based military was Montenegro, which abolished compulsory service in 2019.
Which NATO Countries Have Retained Compulsory Military Service
As of 2026, compulsory military service is in effect in ten NATO countries. In three of these countries - Sweden, Norway, and Denmark - not only men but also women are subject to conscription.
Sweden reinstated conscription for both genders in 2018. In Norway, mandatory service has existed since the country gained independence in the early 20th century, and women have been subject to conscription since 2015. In Denmark, conscription for men has been in place since 1849, following the First Schleswig War, and starting in 2026, this obligation will extend to women as well.
Greece, Finland, and Turkey have never abolished compulsory military service in modern history. In Greece, it was introduced in 1914; in Finland, in 1919 following the civil war; and in Turkey, in 1927 during the reforms of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
After regaining independence in 1991, Estonia introduced compulsory military service. Lithuania initially abolished conscription but reinstated it in 2015. Following its lead, Latvia reinstated compulsory military service in 2024 and Croatia in 2025.
How the Size of NATO Countries’ Armies Has Changed Since the Start of the War in Ukraine
Between 2021 and 2026, an increase in the size of the armed forces was recorded in 21 NATO countries. The most significant growth was seen in the countries on the Alliance’s eastern flank and in Northern European nations.
Poland showed the most significant increase: the size of its armed forces grew by 58% - from 167,000 service members in 2021 to 263,000 in 2026.
Lithuania’s army grew by 33%, Latvia’s by 28%, and Sweden’s by 27%. The armed forces of Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Norway, and Portugal grew by more than 20%.
Growth of more than 10% was also recorded in the armies of Romania, the Netherlands, Canada, Italy, and Luxembourg. An increase in military personnel was also noted in Denmark, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Belgium, Hungary, and Spain.
Which Countries Saw Their Armies Shrink or Remain Unchanged
In ten NATO countries, troop strength either remained virtually unchanged or decreased during the period under review. Among them are states with the Alliance’s largest military capabilities.
For instance, the size of the Bundeswehr remained virtually unchanged: 183,200 service members in 2026 compared to 183,900 in 2021. In the United States, the Army has decreased by approximately 27,000 personnel, or 2%, and now numbers 1,322,000 service members.
The French armed forces have shrunk by 2.7% - from 207,600 to 202,000 personnel. The Finnish Army has decreased from 31,000 to 28,000 service members; however, the country relies on a trained reserve and expects to be able to rapidly mobilize up to 280,000 reservists if necessary.
The most significant reductions occurred in Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Estonia - by 12%, 15%, and 23%, respectively, between 2021 and 2026. At the same time, Estonia, like Finland, is offsetting the reduction in the size of its regular army by expanding its reservist training system and increasing the scale of conscription after 2022.
A slight reduction also occurred in two NATO Balkan countries - Slovenia, where the army’s strength decreased by 1.7%, and Croatia, which lost 3.9% of its personnel.