Denmark has expanded its military conscription to include women, aiming to recruit more soldiers and strengthen defence amid growing security concerns in Europe.

A law passed in June 2023 requires women turning 18 after 1 July 2025 to register for assessment days for potential conscription, matching rules already applied to men. Until now, women, who made up about 24% of recruits last year, could only join voluntarily.

Denmark prioritises volunteers for conscription, with remaining places filled by lottery. The armed forces are adjusting barracks and equipment, which were previously designed mainly for men. Katrine noted that some uniforms and rucksacks are currently too large for female recruits.

Following an agreement with NATO allies to boost defence spending, Denmark plans to increase the conscription period from four to 11 months in 2026 and raise the number of recruits from 5,000 now to 7,500 by 2033.

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