The number of people refusing military service has increased significantly in Germany.

Updated 2026-10-06 · told from many outlets at once

By end of August, the federal office received about 12,100 applications. Applications in 2025 totaled 3,879. The number of conscientious objection applications has grown sharply. The office sees many misdirected applications.

• The federal office reported 5,862 applications by the end of June 2026.
• The number of conscientious objection applications has increased significantly this year.
• The federal office is observing a high number of misdirected applications.
• The new military service law mandates conscription for young men from the 2008 cohort.
• The number of applications is currently three times higher than in the entire year 2025.

Outlets: Der Spiegel, Der Tagesspiegel, Deutschlandfunk, Die Welt, ZDFheute, ZEIT ONLINE | Nachrichten, Hintergründe und Debatten

Written by AI from the outlets' reporting and checked automatically; it can contain mistakes. How Daily Brief works · Privacy