| Country | Year | Law | Suspended? | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1903 | Defence Act | S | would still apply if conscription reintroduced |
| New Zealand | 1912 | Defence Amendment Act | S | no current provision |
| UK | 1916 | Military Service Act | S | no current provision |
| Canada | 1917 | S | no current provision | |
| Denmark | 1917 | Alternative Service Act, 13th December | Civilian Service Act 588/67 | |
| USA | 1917 | S | Military Selective Service Act 92-129/71 (and amendments) | |
| Sweden | 1920 | Total Defence Service Act 1809/94 | ||
| Netherlands | 1922 | Constitutional amendment | S | Law on Conscientious Objection, 1962 (amended 22 May 2003) |
| Norway | 1922 | Amendment to Military Penal Code, paragraph 35.5 | Law on Exemption of Military Service for Reasons of Personal Conviction (7/99) | |
| Finland | 1931 | Alternative Service Law, 4th June | Civilian Service Act 1723/1991 as amended by Acts 456/92, 1264/92, 1271/93, 1222/98, 439/00, 1248/00, 745/02. | |
| Germany | 1949 | Constitution, Article 4.3 | Law on Conscientious Objection 2003 | |
| France | 1963 | Law Number 1255/1963 | S | ?Law on Conscientious Objection 605/83 |
| Italy | 1972 | S | Law on Conscientious Objection 230/1998 | |
| Austria | 1974 | Law on Civilian Service, Article 2 | Law on Civilian Service | |
| Portugal | 1976 | Constitution, Article 41 | S | ?Law on Conscientious Objection 7/1992 |
| Spain | 1978 | Constitution | S | ?Law on Conscientious Objection 48/1984 |
| Belgium | 1980 | Law on Conscientious Objection | S | ?Law on Conscientious Objection (amended 1992) |
| Brazil | 1988 | Constitution | Law on Alternative Service, 8231/91 | |
| Marshall Islands | 1988 | Constitution, Article 11 | S | |
| Poland | 1988 | Law on Alternative Service 2003 | ||
| Hungary | 1989 | Constitution | S | National Defence Act 90/93 |
| Croatia | 1990 | Constitution, Article 47.2 | Law on Civilian Service, 2003 | |
| Bulgaria | 1991 | Constitution, Article 59.2 | Law on Alternative Service 2003 (16 May) | |
| Czechoslovakia: | 1991 | Charter of Basic Rights and Freedoms, Article 15.3 | ||
| Czech Republic | S | Law on Civilian Service 18/92, amended by Laws 135/93, 118/95, 151/99 and 223/99 | ||
| Slovakia | (enshrined in Article 25 of the 1992 Constitution) | Civilian Service Act, 207/95 | ||
| Estonia | 1991 | Constitution, Article 124 | Defence Forces Service Act, 2000 | |
| Moldova | 1991 | Law on Alternative Service Number 633/91 | same, but as amended by Law 534/99 | |
| Cap Verde | 1992 | Constitution, Article 271 | ||
| Cyprus | 1992 | National Guard Law 2/1992 | ||
| Angola | 1993 | Law on Military Service, Article 10 | ? no further implementing legislation | |
| Lithuania | 1996 | Law on National Conscription | ||
| Paraguay | 1992 | Constitution, Article 129 | no implementing legislation | |
| Serbia-Montenegro | 1992 | Constitution (of the then Yugoslavia) | Military Service Act, 26.8.03 | |
| Slovenia | 1992 | Constitution | S | |
| Uzbekistan | 1992 | Law on Universal Military Service, Article 52 | Law on Military Duty and Military Service, 2002 (12 Dec) | |
| Russian Federation | 1993 | Constitution, Article 59.3 | Law on Alternative Civilian Service, 2003 | |
| Argentina | 1995 | Law on Voluntary Military Service, 24429/95(Art 20) | S | would apply if conscription reintroduced |
| Azerbaijan | 1995 | Constitution | ||
| Bosnia - Herzegovina | ||||
| Federation | 1996 | Law on Defence | S | ?Law on Defence, 2004 |
| Republika Srpska | 1996 | Law on Defence, Articles 215 - 219 | S | |
| Romania | 1996 | Law 46/1996 - Preparation of Population for Defence Article 4. | ||
| Switzerland | 1996 | Law on Civilian Service | ||
| Ukraine | 1996 | Constitution, Article 35.3 | Law on Alternative Civilian Service, 1999 | |
| Greece | 1997 | Law on Conscientious Objection 2510/97 | ||
| Georgia | 1997 | Law on Alternative Service | ||
| Mozambique | 1997 | Law on Obligatory Military Service | ||
| Ecuador | 1998 | Constitution | ||
| Albania | 1998 | Constitution, Article 166 | Law on Military Service 9047/2003 | |
| Taiwan | 2000 | Alternative Service Law 15th. January | ||
| Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of | 2001 | Law on Defence | ||
| Latvia | 2002 | Law on Alternative Service | ||
| Kyrgystan | 2002 | Law on Alternative (Non-Military) Service, June 2002 | ||
| Mongolia | 2002 | Law on Military Service Duties of Citizens and on the Legal Status of Military Personnel | ||
| Armenia | 2003 | Law on Alternative Service |
S - obligatory military service currently suspended or abolished.
Where the law regulating conscientious objection is quoted with a question mark, it has not been ascertained whether it remains valid should the relevant circumstances again arise.