Estonia May Need to Conscript Women Within 15 Years

Estonia could be forced to introduce compulsory military service for women within 15 years, as a sharp decline in male births threatens the country's ability to meet its defense targets for 2040.

Anu Rannaveski, head of the state Defense Resources Agency, warned that annual male births have fallen from around 15,000 in previous decades to between 4,000 and 5,000 today. Estonia's long-term defense strategy requires 4,100 conscripts per year to maintain adequate war reserves. Rannaveski said the question is no longer "if" but "when" conscription will be extended to women, describing the defense of independence as the duty of every citizen.

The Baltic state, which has a population of 1.3 million and shares a border with Russia, has accelerated its defense preparations since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Extending conscription to women would place Estonia alongside several NATO allies that have already taken the same step. Norway introduced gender-neutral conscription in 2015, followed by Sweden and, most recently, Denmark. Neighboring Latvia is considering a similar move from 2028, while in Poland the share of women serving in the military has reached 17% on a voluntary basis.

(tvp, est)