Official Statistics

Annual location statistics: 1 April 2026

Published 9 July 2026

This statistical release presents figures on the National and International locations of all UK Regular Forces personnel, MOD civil servants and Locally Engaged Civilians (LEC) as at 1 April 2026, and the intake by Parliamentary Constituency into the UK Regular Forces as at 1 April 2026.

The strength by location tables present information on the stationed location of all UK Regular service and MOD civil servants by UK Unitary Authority and Local Authority Area, as well as global locations. Data for UK Regular Forces are presented for each Service by Officer/Other Ranks breakdown.

Please note the following updates in the tables, for which further information may be found within the Background Quality Report:

The distinction between industrial, non industrial and executive agencies has been replaced with a MOD civil servant total figure. Locally Engaged Civilians are not included within the MOD civil servant total figure, as they are not civil servants, and are therefore presented separately. As Locally Engaged Civilians are employed overseas, there will be no LEC row within the UK based tables.

The Intake tables present information on Intake into the UK Regular Forces by Parliamentary Constituency.

Key Points and Trends

▲132,280	Strength of UK Regular Forces in UK as at 1 April 2026 an increase of 1000 compared with 1 April 2025
▼5,570	Strength of UK Regular Forces located overseas as at 1 April 2026 a decrease of 40 compared with 1 April 2025
▼52,940	Strength of MOD Civil Servants in UK as at 1 April 2026 a decrease of 450 compared with 1 April 2025
▼720	Strength of MOD Civil Servants located overseas as at 1 April 2026 a decrease of 20 compared with 1 April 2025
▲37,560	Largest UK Region concentration of UK Regular Forces is in South East UK as at 1 April 2026 an increase of 140 compared with 1 April 2025
▼22,060	Largest UK region concentration of MOD Civil Servants is in South West UK as at 1 April 2026 a decrease of 400 compared with 1 April 2025

Responsible Statistician: Tri-Service Head of Branch

Email: Analysis-Tri-Hd@mod.gov.uk

Further information/mailing list: Analysis-Tri-Service@mod.gov.uk

Background Quality Report: Background Quality Report

Would you like to be added to our contact list, so that we can inform you about updates to these statistics and consult you if we are thinking of making changes? You can subscribe to updates by emailing Analysis-Tri-Service@mod.gov.uk.

Introduction

This statistical release presents figures on the National and International locations of all UK Regular Forces personnel and MOD civil servants, and the Intake into the UK Regular Forces by Parliamentary Constituency.

The basing of the UK Forces changed when the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 (SDSR) outlined a number of recommendations to transform the UK Forces in order to face new threats. These recommendations aimed to restructure the UK Armed Forces and rationalise the Defence estate. This instigated a number of more detailed plans including the Regular Army Basing Plan. A number of modifications were made to the structure and way each of the Services operated, with a focus on creation of a versatile Force. The modifications included the decisions to reconfigure the Army by reducing it from six to five multi-role brigades. The Royal Air Force (RAF) structure was focused around fewer Fast Jet platforms with increasing numbers of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and an improved strategic Air Transport Fleet. Additionally, the British Forces personnel previously based in Germany have been relocated back in the UK. These changes came into effect by 2020 and consequently impacted on basing both overseas and in the UK. Previous versions of this publication reported the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, released in November 2015. Prior to SDSR 2015, this publication reported the planned Future Force 2020, as set out in the SDSR 2010 which planned to reduce the size of the Armed Forces.

To provide a more solid overseas foundation for HM forces, the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy (IR) presented to Parliament by the Prime Minister in 2021, seeks to invest in overseas strategic hubs in Oman, Singapore and Kenya in addition to the facilities and infrastructure in Cyprus, Gibraltar and Germany. The IR also seeks to expand the global network of British Defence Staffs, increasing it by nearly a third. This will see a fairly significant change in the basing of personnel overseas. This will be reported in future publications.

Furthermore, the 2025 SDR made clear that the MOD provide service personnel with flexible-working arrangements in order to improve retention. The department has committed to aiding service personnel with flexible-working policies that support personnel and their families with greater stability in their location and help with home ownership. The 2025 SDR reasserted the department’s commitment to defending UK sovereign territory including Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, and British Indian Ocean Territory.

As at 1 April 2026, the government has chosen to retain the Chagos Islands. We will continue to report this as British Indian Ocean Territory (Including Diego Garcia).

UK Regular Forces

Armed Forces figures are for UK Regular Forces (including both Trained and Untrained personnel), and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service personnel and mobilised reservists. Royal Navy / Royal Marines personnel on sea service are included against the local authority containing the home port of their ship. RAF Other Ranks serving in the South Atlantic are shown against the location containing their home base.

MOD Civil Servants

Civil servants figures are for staff employed by the Crown (appointed by departments or executive agencies). Their roles, grades and salaries are broadly comparable and whilst they usually work for one specific department or agency, and they are able to apply for postings across most other areas of government. MOD civil servants include those in the four MOD Executive Agencies; UK Hydrographic Office, Defence Science & Technology Laboratory, Submarine Delivery Agency, and Defence Equipment & Support.

Civil servants are reported as Full Time Equivalent (FTE). FTE is a measure of the size of the workforce taking into account that some people work part-time. Part-time staff are counted according to the number of hours they work per week as a proportion of normal hours for their grade and location.

Locally Engaged Civilians

LEC employees are recruited overseas exclusively for employment in support of the UK Armed Forces deployed in a particular overseas theatre and on terms and conditions of service applicable only to that overseas theatre or Administration. Figures are reported as FTE.

Other bulletins in this series can be found on the .gov.uk website.

UK Regular Forces by Region

The majority of Service personnel are located in the South East and South West of the UK with 37,560 and 35,380 personnel, respectively. The fewest personnel are located in the North East with 920 personnel. The largest decrease between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026 was in Yorkshire and the Humber with a decrease of 160 (1.3 per cent). The largest increase in personnel was in the South West with an increase of 560 (1.6 per cent).

A time series of United Kingdom Regular strengths can be found in the accompanying tables.

Strength: the number of UK Regular Forces personnel.

Stationed Location: location in which personnel work; this is not necessarily where personnel live.

MOD Civil Servants by Region

The majority of MOD civil servants are located in the South West and South East of the UK with 22,060 and 9,480 civil servants, respectively. The fewest civil servants are located in the North East with 190 civil servants. The largest decrease between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026 was in the South West with a decrease of 400 (1.8 per cent). The largest increase in MOD civil servants was in London with an increase of 150 (3.6 per cent).

A time series of United Kingdom based civil servants can be found in the accompanying tables.

Strength: the number of MOD civil servants.

Stationed Location: location in which personnel work; this is not necessarily where personnel live.

Worldwide Strengths

The strength of UK Regular Forces stationed overseas decreased from 5,620 to 5,570 (0.8 per cent) between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026. Over the same period, the number of MOD civil servants based overseas decreased from 740 to 720 (2.7 per cent). The number of LEC’s based overseas decreased from 3,760 to 3,690 (2.0 per cent).

A time series of world wide strengths can be found in the accompanying tables.

Intake by Parliamentary Constituency

Figures as at 1 April 2026 reflect the 2024 Parliamentary Constituency boundary changes. Intake by Parliamentary Constituency into the UK Regular Forces for FY14/15 to FY23/24 prior to the 2024 Parliamentary Constituency boundary changes are available in the 1 April 2024 ALS publication.

In the latest available financial year (12 months ending 31 March 2025), for the Royal Navy/Royal Marines, the region with the largest intake was the South East with 580 personnel joining, while the Parliamentary Constituency with the largest intake was Gosport with 60 personnel joining.

For the Army, the region with the largest intake was South East with 1,170 personnel while the Parliamentary Constituency with the largest intake was East Wiltshire with 60 personnel.

For the RAF, the region with the largest intake was the South East with 390 personnel each joining, while the Parliamentary Constituency with the largest intake tied between Sleaford and North Hykeham, and Doncaster East and the Ilse of Axholme with 20 personnel joining.

Unitary and Local Authority Changes

There have been no changes to the make up of Unitary and Local Authorities between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026.

Data Sources and Notes

UK Regular Forces

UK Regular Forces data are sourced from the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system. Location data are based on the stationed location of the individual as recorded in the ‘Assignment Location’ field of the JPA system. The figures are based on Service personnel’s stationed location and not their location of residence - where personnel work isn’t necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location.

Following a request in Defence Orals in April 2020, data on the Parliamentary Constituency of recruits (intake) is now included in these statistics, beginning with the April 2021 release. For all three services, data pre-March 2022 was held on the Defence Recruitment System (DRS). Post-March 2022, data for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force has been held on the Recruitment IT System (RITS).

MOD Civil Servants and Locally Engaged Civilians

MOD Civil Servants

MOD civil servants location data are compiled from several sources. Data for civil servants within MOD Main and two Executive Agencies (Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) and Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA)) are derived from the MOD’s MyHR personnel system. MyHR replaced Human Resources Management System (HRMS) in February 2022. Data for civil servants within the remaining Executive Agencies (UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (DSTL)) are derived from the executive agencies HR systems. Data for Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) are sourced from their HR system, ‘Magellan’. Location is defined as the worker’s regular home duty station. Region and local authority area boundaries are based on the official Office for National Statistics (ONS) statistical definitions.

Locally Engaged Civilians (LEC)

LEC data are derived from the main budgetary area of MOD responsible for them.

Further Information

Symbols

Symbol	Description
[b]	Break in time series
[e]	Estimate
[p]	Provisional
[x]	Not available
[z]	Not applicable

Rounding

When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias of always rounding up to the nearest 10.

Where rounding has been used, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts.

Revisions

There are no revisions for this edition of the ALS.

Contact Us

Analysis Tri-Service welcome feedback on our statistical products. If you have any comments or questions about this publication or about our statistics in general, you can contact us as follows:

Analysis Tri-Service

Telephone: 0207 807 8896

Email: Analysis-Tri-Hd@mod.gov.uk

Further information/mailing list: Analysis-Tri-Service@mod.gov.uk

Background Quality Report: Background Quality Report

If you require information which is not available within this or other available publications, you may wish to submit a Request for Information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. See guidance on how to make an FOI request.

Other contact points within Defence Statistics are listed below.

Financial and Economic Statistics Contacts

Defence Expenditure Analysis:

Email: DefStrat-Econ-ESES-PQFOI@mod.gov.uk

Price Indices:

Email: Analysis-Econ-PI-Contracts@mod.gov.uk

Personnel Statistics Contacts

Naval Service Strength:

Email: Analysis-Navy@mod.gov.uk

Army Strength:

Email: DefStrat-Stat-Army-Enquiries@mod.uk

RAF Strength:

Email: Analysis-Air@mod.gov.uk

Tri-Service Strength:

Email: Analysis-Tri-Service@mod.gov.uk

Civilian Strength:

Email: Analysis-Civilian-Enquiries@mod.gov.uk

Health Information:

Email: Analysis-Health-PQ-FOI@mod.gov.uk

If you wish to correspond by mail, our postal address is:

Analysis (Tri-Service)
Ministry of Defence, Main Building
Floor 3 Zone M
Whitehall
London
SW1A 2HB

For general MOD enquiries, please call: 020 7218 9000.

Subscribe to Updates

Would you like to be added to our contact list, so that we can inform you about updates to these statistics and consult you if we are thinking of making changes? You can subscribe to updates by emailing Analysis-Tri-Service@mod.gov.uk.