Accredited official statistics

Quarterly service personnel statistics: 1 April 2026

Updated 4 June 2026

This publication provides information on the number of military personnel (defined as the Strength), joining (Intake), and leaving (Outflow) the UK Armed Forces. Detail is provided for both the full-time UK Regular Armed Forces (AF) and Reserves.

Further statistics can be found in the Excel tables which accompany this report. The historic trends in Reserve personnel numbers in this report relate to the targets outlined in the Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) programme.

1. Key Points and Trends

▲183,410	Strength of UK Armed Forces Service Personnel at 1 April 2026, an increase of 1,510 (1 per cent) since 1 April 2025.
▲126,740	Full-Time Trained Strength (RN/RM & RAF) and Full-Time Trade Trained Strength (Army) at 1 April 2026, an increase of 130 (0.1 per cent) since 1 April 2025.
▲14,370	People joined the UK Regular Armed Forces in the past 12 months (1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026), an increase of 920 (7 per cent) compared with the previous 12 month period.
▼13,390	People left the UK Regular Armed Forces in the past 12 months (1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026), a decrease of 1,190 (8 per cent) compared with the previous 12 month period.
▼28,890	Strength of the Trained Future Reserves 2020 at 1 April 2026, a decrease of 310 (1 per cent) since 1 April 2025.
▲4,050	People joined the Future Reserves 2020 in the past 12 months (1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026), an increase of 340 (9 per cent) compared with the previous 12 month period.
▼3,940	People left the Future Reserves 2020 in the past 12 months (1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026), a decrease of 280 (7 per cent) compared with the previous 12 month period.

Responsible Statistician: Tri-Service Head of Branch

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

2. Introduction

This publication contains information on the Strength, Intake, Outflow, and Gains to Trained Strength (GTS) for the UK Armed Forces, both overall and for each of the Services; Royal Navy/Royal Marines (RN/RM), Army and Royal Air Force (RAF).

Detailed statistics, including unrounded figures, and historic time series can be found in the Excel tables which accompany this report. These include quarterly statistics on the number of Service and civilian personnel, Separated Service (the proportion of personnel breaching harmony guidelines), Applications to each of the Services, and military salaries. Historic statistics can be found in the following archived publications:

• Monthly personnel report
• Quarterly personnel report
• Annual personnel report
• UK Reserve Forces and Cadets
• Service personnel bulletin 2.01
• Service and civilian bulletin 2.03
• UK Armed Forces maternity report
• Diversity Dashboard
• Quarterly location statistics

The Tri-Service glossary of terms and abbreviations contains definitions of terminology used in this publication.

A calendar of upcoming Ministry of Defence (MOD) statistical releases can be found on GOV.UK.

3. UK Service Personnel

Strength is the number of personnel.

UK Regulars are full-time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, excluding Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guarding Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), and Non Regular Permanent Service (NRPS).

Volunteer Reserves voluntarily accept an annual training commitment and are liable to be mobilised to deploy on operations. They can be utilised on a part-time or full-time basis to provide support to the UK Regular Forces at home and overseas.

UK Service Personnel are the total Strength of the military personnel employed by the Ministry of Defence (Excel table, Table 1). The current Strength (at 1 April 2026) of the UK Armed Forces is 183,410 which includes:

• All UK Regular personnel and all Gurkha personnel (77.7 per cent of UK Service Personnel).
• Volunteer Reserve personnel (17.5 per cent of UK Service Personnel).
• Other Personnel including the Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve, MPGS, LEP, and elements of the FTRS (4.9 per cent of UK Service Personnel).

Prior to April 2025, the total Strength of the UK Armed Forces¹ had been declining. However, between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026, UK Armed Forces has increased by 0.8 per cent (1,510 personnel), as shown in Table 1. The total Strength of the UK Regular Forces, Gurkhas, Volunteer Reserves, and Other Personnel have also increased within the same period.

Table 1: Trends in UK Armed Forces Strength¹

	01-Apr-23	01-Apr-24	01-Apr-25	01-Oct-25	01-Jan-26	01-Apr-26	% Change since 1 Apr 25
UK Forces Personnel	188,820	183,230	181,890	182,060	182,050	183,410	0.8%
UK Regular Forces	142,560	138,120	137,000	137,100	136,960	137,970	0.7%
Gurkhas	4,180	4,300	4,340	4,230	4,190	4,460	2.9%
Volunteer Reserve	33,790	32,420	31,900	31,940	32,030	32,030	0.4%
Other Personnel	8,290	8,380	8,650	8,790	8,880	8,940	3.4%
Royal Navy / Royal Marines	38,770	37,780	37,900	37,880	38,130	38,300	1.0%
UK Regular Forces	32,840	32,000	32,150	32,160	32,380	32,520	1.1%
Volunteer Reserve	3,460	3,310	3,240	3,210	3,200	3,230	-0.3%
Other Personnel	2,470	2,480	2,510	2,520	2,560	2,550	1.6%
Army	113,440	110,300	109,160	109,060	108,620	109,480	0.3%
UK Regular Forces	77,540	75,320	74,400	74,270	73,790	74,370	0.0%
Gurkhas	4,180	4,300	4,340	4,230	4,190	4,460	2.9%
Volunteer Reserve	27,190	26,090	25,690	25,710	25,770	25,730	0.2%
Other Personnel	4,530	4,590	4,740	4,840	4,870	4,920	3.8%
Royal Air Force	36,610	35,140	34,830	35,130	35,300	35,630	2.3%
UK Regular Forces	32,180	30,800	30,450	30,670	30,790	31,080	2.1%
Volunteer Reserve	3,140	3,030	2,980	3,020	3,060	3,070	3.2%
Other Personnel	1,290	1,320	1,400	1,430	1,460	1,470	5.1%

1. UK Armed Forces are all UK Regular, Gurkha, Volunteer Reserve, and Other Personnel. The constituents of “Other Personnel” are reported towards the top of this page.

4. Full-Time Trained Strength (RN/RM and RAF) and Full-Time Trade Trained Strength (Army)

Between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026, total FTTS (RAF and Navy) and FTTTS (Army) increased by 0.1 per cent (130 personnel). This is primarily driven by increases of 0.5 and 0.3 per cent in FTTS for the RN/RM and RAF, respectively, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2: FTTS (RN/RM and RAF) and FTTTS (Army)

	01-Apr-23	01-Apr-24	01-Apr-25	01-Oct-25	01-Jan-26	01-Apr-26	% Change since 1 Apr 26
Total	133,570	129,760	126,610	125,680	126,440	126,740	0.1%
RN/RM (FTTS)	29,350	28,840	28,040	27,820	28,140	28,180	0.5%
Army (FTTTS)	74,830	72,510	70,860	70,300	70,630	70,760	-0.1%
RAF(FTTS)	29,380	28,420	27,710	27,560	27,670	27,800	0.3%

FTTS and FTTTS includes all UK Regular personnel, Gurkhas, and the relevant elements of the FTRS (see the Tri-Service glossary of terms and abbreviations for more details).

Figure 1: FTTS (RN/RM and RAF) and FTTTS (Army), April 2021 to April 2026

5. Army FTTS and FTTTS

Table 3: FTTS and FTTTS in the Army

	01-Apr-25	01-Jul-25	01-Oct-25	01-Jan-26	01-Apr-26
Full-Time Trained Strength	74,910	74,750	75,080	75,090	75,040
of which Trade Trained	70,860	70,640	70,300	70,630	70,760

Figure 2: FTTS and FTTTS in the Army since Trained Strength definition change in October 2016

As seen in Figure 2 above, between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026, Army FTTS increased by 0.2 per cent while Army FTTTS decreased by 0.1 per cent.

Table 4: Army Officers and Other Ranks by Training Status

	01-Apr-23	01-Apr-24	01-Apr-25	01-Oct-25	01-Jan-26	01-Apr-26
Trained Officers	12,580	12,270	12,120	12,260	12,300	12,170
Trade Trained Officers	12,320	12,090	11,890	11,900	11,940	11,920
Trained Other Ranks	66,430	63,700	62,790	62,820	62,790	62,870
Trade Trained Other Ranks	62,520	60,410	58,960	58,400	58,690	58,840

In the last year, both the Army Full-Time Trained Officers and Other Ranks Strengths increased by 0.5 and 0.1 per cent, respectively. Army Full-Time Trade Trained Officers Strength also increased by 0.2 per cent; however, the Other Ranks Strength fell by 0.2 per cent.

6. UK Regular Personnel

At 1 April 2026, the Trained and Untrained Strength of the UK Regular Forces was 137,970. The Service split for this figure can be found in Table 5 below.

There are 11,910 Untrained personnel in the UK Regular Forces, of which 4,580 are in the RN/RM, 4,000 in the Army, and 3,320 are in the RAF.

Table 5: UK Regular Forces by Service and Training Status

	01-Apr-25		01-Apr-26
RN/RM	32,150		32,520
of which Trained	27,800	86.4%	27,930	85.9%
Army	74,400		74,370
of which Trained	70,660	95.0%	70,690	95.1%
of which Trade Trained	66,720	89.7%	66,540	89.5%
RAF	30,450		31,080
of which Trained	27,660	90.8%	27,760	89.3%

In the last year, the total UK Regular Strength has grown by 0.7 per cent (960 personnel). The RN/RM and the RAF UK Regular Strength grew by 1.1 per cent and 2.1 per cent, respectively, whereas the Army UK Regular Strength remained stable. This is primarily driven by higher UK Regular Intake alongside lower UK Regular Outflow within this period.

6.1 Intake and Outflow

12 month rolling Intake has been greater than Outflow for the RN/RM since 31 January 2025, the Army since 28 February 2026, and the RAF since 31 August 2025. In the 12 months to 31 March 2026 Intake was higher than Outflow by 980 (compared to the 12 months to 31 March 2025, where Intake was lower than Outflow by 1,140). Outflow has decreased by 8.2 per cent and Intake has increased by 6.8 per cent since 31 March 2025.

6.2 Intake

• Total Intake (Untrained and Trained/Trade Trained) to the UK Regular Forces was 14,370 in the 12 months to 31 March 2026, compared to 13,450 in the 12 months to 31 March 2025.
• From the previous 12 months, this is a decrease of 3.4 per cent for the RN/RM, and for the Army and RAF, an increase of 3.6 per cent and 36.6 per cent, respectively.

Figure 3: Intake to and Outflow from the UK Regular Forces over rolling 12 month periods from 1 April 2021 - 31 March 2026

6.3 Outflow

Voluntary Outflow (VO) encompasses all Trained (RN/RM and RAF) and Trade Trained (Army) personnel who voluntarily exit before the end of their agreed engagement or commission period.

Time Expiry is a term used to describe those in the UK Armed Services who reach the end of their engagement or commission and then leave.

Other includes Outflow from the Trained (RN/RM and RAF) and Trade Trained (Army) Strength due to, amongst others, medical reasons, misconduct, compassionate, dismissals, and death.

VO Rate is the number of personnel voluntarily outflowing as a proportion of the average Trained Strength for the Outflow period.

• Total Outflow (Untrained and Trained/Trade Trained) from the UK Regular Forces was 13,390 in the 12 months to 31 March 2026, down from 14,590 in the 12 months to 31 March 2025.

• Across all Services, VO was the most common reason for Outflow from the Trained (RN/RM and RAF) and Trade Trained (Army), accounting for 60.3 per cent of Outflow in the 12 months to 31 March 2026 (see Figure 4).

• In the 12 months to 31 March 2026, 6,060 personnel left through VO. The VO rate was 5.0 per cent. The VO Rate for the RN/RM was 4.9 per cent, for the Army it was 5.3 per cent, and for the RAF it was 4.4 per cent.

• In the 12 months to 31 March 2026, the VO rate amongst Other Ranks and Officers was 5.2 per cent and 4.2 per cent, respectively.

• The Tri-Service 12 month rolling VO rate has continued its downward trend since reaching a peak of 6.6 per cent at 31 July 2023. Excluding the period of artificial low VO rate during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tri-Service VO rate is currently at its lowest rate in the last 10 years.

There is no single reason why personnel leave on Voluntary Outflow, but the personnel who completed the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey indicated reasons for leaving the UK Armed Forces included the impact of Service life on family and personal life and opportunities outside the UK Armed Forces.

Figure 4: Outflow of Trained (RN/RM and RAF) and Trade Trained (Army) UK Regulars by exit reason (12 months to 31 March 2026)

6.4 Gains to Trained Strength and Trained Outflow

Gains to Trained Strength (GTS) figures include all UK Regular personnel who complete Phase 2 Training and those that enter directly into the Trained/Trade Trained Strength. It excludes those returning to the Trained and Trade Trained Strength from Long Term Absence (LTA).

Trained Outflow figures show Trained and Trade Trained Outflow from UK Regular Forces, including personnel leaving the Services and deaths. They do not include promotion from Other Ranks to Officers or flows between Services.

In the 12 months to 31 March 2026, the number of personnel joining the Trained (RN/RM and RAF) and Trade Trained (Army) UK Regular Forces was 460 higher than the number leaving (for the first time since the 12 months to 31 March 2022). This represents a net gain to the Trained and Trade Trained population of the UK Armed Forces. The overall Full-Time Trained and Trade Trained Strength at 1 April 2026 (after accounting for other flows such as promotion from Other Ranks to Officers or flows between Services) was 130 higher than at 1 April 2025.

• The number of Trained (RN/RM and RAF) and Trade Trained (Army) direct entrants (personnel that rejoin the Armed Forces having previously completed Phase 2 Training) in the 12 months to 31 March 2026 was 530. This is a decrease of 9.8 per cent (60) from the 12 months to 31 March 2025.
• 9,970 personnel completed Phase 2 Training in the 12 months to 31 March 2026. This has increased by 19.1 per cent when compared to the previous 12 month period (8,370).
• The Gains to Trained Strength (GTS) for the RN/RM increased by 20.1 per cent, Army Gains to Trade Trained Strength (GTTS) increased by 11.6 per cent, and RAF gains increased by 32.1 per cent compared to the previous 12 month period.
• Trained Outflow from the RN/RM decreased by 15.8 per cent, Army Trade Trained Outflow decreased by 14.9 per cent, and RAF Trained Outflow decreased by 14.8 per cent compared to the previous 12 month period.

The 12 month rolling total GTS/GTTS has been steadily rising, increasing by 17.4 per cent since 31 December 2024 to 31 March 2026. In contrast, Trained and Trade Trained Outflow is in decline, decreasing consistently by a total of 26.6 per cent since 30 June 2023.

Figure 5: GTS/GTTS and Outflow from the Trained/Trade Trained UK Regular Forces over rolling 12 month periods from 1 April 2021 - 31 March 2026

7. Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) Programme Monitoring

Future Reserves 2020 includes Volunteer Reserves who are mobilised, High Readiness Reserves (HRR), Volunteer Reserves serving on Full-time Reserve Service (FTRS), and Additional Duties Commitment (ADC). Sponsored Reserves who provide a more cost-effective solution than Volunteer Reserves are also included in the Army Reserve FR20.

Following consultation on changes to the Army Trained Strength definition and the removal of the FR20 Intake targets, the MOD released Future Reserves 2020 Trained Strength growth profiles in a Written Ministerial Statement on 8 November 2016. Reporting of the growth of the Reserves were based on Trained Strength profiles only.

Following initial plans to freeze FR20 data at 1 April 2022, extensive consultation with internal stakeholders within MOD has identified an ongoing need to publish FR20 statistics until further notice.

7.1 Future Reserves 2020 Strength

Progress against FR20 population Trained Strength targets were reported in Table 6a of the Excel tables. The total Trained and Untrained Strength of the Tri-Service Future Reserves 2020 at 1 April 2026 was 32,100, an increase of 110 personnel or 0.3 per cent since 1 April 2025.

7.2 Maritime Reserve

The downturn of the Maritime Reserve Trained Strength since 1 July 2021, has stabilised. Figure 6 shows that the Maritime Reserve Trained Strength was 2,630 at 1 April 2026. This has remained consistent since 1 April 2025.

The Maritime Reserve total Strength at 1 April 2026 was 3,230. This is a decrease of 10 personnel (0.3 per cent) since 1 April 2025.

Figure 6: Maritime Reserve Trained Strength

7.3 Army Reserve

Similarly to the Maritime Reserve Trained Strength, after a steady decline, from 1 October 2024 the Army Reserve Trained Strength appears to be levelling off. Figure 7 shows that the Army Reserve Trained Strength was 23,580, at 1 April 2026. This is a decrease of 260 personnel (1.1 per cent) since 1 April 2025.

The Army Reserve total Strength at 1 April 2026 was 25,800. This is an increase of 20 personnel (0.1 per cent) since 1 April 2025.

Figure 7: Army Reserve Trained Strength

7.4 RAF Reserve

In contrast to the Maritime Reserve and Army Reserve Trained Strengths, the RAF Reserve Trained Strength was the most variable over the last 5 years. Figure 8 shows that, at 1 April 2026, the RAF Reserve Trained Strength was 2,680. This is a decrease of 40 personnel (1.6 per cent) when compared to 1 April 2025.

The RAF Reserve total Strength at 1 April 2026 was 3,070. This is an increase of 100 personnel (3.2 per cent) when compared with 1 April 2025.

Figure 8: RAF Reserve Trained Strength

7.5 FR20 Intake and Outflow statistics

Intake and Outflow statistics report how many people have left or joined the Trained or Untrained Strengths. As well as leavers and new recruits, this can include personnel transferring to or from the Regular Forces, other Reserve populations, or Reserve re-joiners.

The rates for both Outflow and Intake represent the proportion they form of the average FR20 Strength for the period.

The Intake rate of the 12 month average FR20 Strength for each Reserve Service in the 12 months ending 31 March 2026 is as follows:

• The Maritime Reserve total Intake was 16.2 per cent, remaining the same since the 12 months to 31 March 2025.
• The Army Reserve total Intake was 11.8 per cent, an increase of 1.2 percentage points since the 12 months to 31 March 2025.
• The RAF Reserves total Intake was 16.5 per cent, an increase of 1.7 percentage points since the 12 months to 31 March 2025.

Figure 9: Intake rate to the FR20 Reserves over rolling 12-month periods ending from 1 April 2021 - 31 March 2026 by Reserve Service

The Intake rate to the Army Reserves has decreased, the Maritime and the RAF FR20 Intake rate has increased since the last quarter.

The FR20 Outflow rate in each Reserve Service in the 12 months ending 31 March 2026 is as follows:

• The Maritime Reserve total Outflow was 16.5 per cent, a decrease of 1.8 percentage points since the 12 months to 31 March 2025.
• The Army Reserve total Outflow was 11.7 per cent, a decrease of 0.4 percentage points since the 12 months to 31 March 2025.
• The RAF Reserve total Outflow was 13.4 per cent, a decrease of 3.3 percentage points since the 12 months to 31 March 2025.

Figure 10: Outflow rate from the FR20 Reserves over rolling 12-month periods ending from 1 April 2021 - 31 March 2026 by Reserve Service

The Outflow rate from the Maritime, Army and RAF Reserves has decreased since last quarter.

Figure 11: Intake to and Outflow from the FR20 Reserves over rolling 12-month periods ending from 1 April 2021 - 31 March 2026

At the Tri-Service level, the 12 month ending Intake and Outflow was nearly identical in late 2021 before Intake fell. Additionally, over the last two years the gap between Intake and Outflow has narrowed with Intake being greater than Outflow (by 110 personnel) at 31 March 2026 for the first time since late 2021 (110 personnel more personnel joined the FR20 than left).

8. Separated Service

Separated Service concerns personnel who are serving away from their usual place of duty or are unable to enjoy leisure at their normal place of duty or residence at place of duty.

Individual Harmony is the freedom to enjoy leisure at the normal place of duty or residence at place of duty; this includes leave and adventurous training.

Separated Service measures absence from normal place of duty. The time an individual experiences separated Service is compared against each Service’s “Individual Harmony” guidelines to ensure a balance between duty and leisure for all Service personnel.

A breach of Individual Harmony guidelines occurs when Service personnel experience separated Service for longer than the period outlined in the Individual Harmony guidelines, which are based on the structures and organisation of that Service. The guidelines are measured over a 36 month period and the limits are:

• 660 days away for the RN/RM
• 498 days away for the Army
• 498 days away for the RAF (was 468 days prior to 1 April 2021)

Using 1 January 2024 as an example, the formula for the breach rate is as follows:

1. Count the number of Trained/Trade Trained UK Regular personnel breaching in the 36 months ending to 31 December 2023.
2. Divide this by the Trained UK Regular Strength at 1 January 2024.

The percentage breaching harmony has decreased for the RN/RM (0.3 per cent) and the Army (1.7 per cent), while remaining stable for the RAF (0.4 per cent) at 1 January 2026 compared to the previous quarter.

Separated Service data can be found in Table 10 of the accompanying Excel tables.

Figure 12: Percentage of UK Regular Forces Breaching Harmony (1 July 2014 - 31 December 2025)

9. Applications to the UK Armed Forces

The figures in this publication include applications to the UK Regular and Volunteer Reserve Forces. They are broken down by Service, and by Officers and Other Ranks.

NOTE: Application numbers cannot be added together across the Services to show total UK Armed Forces applications due to differences in definitions.

Figure 13: Applications to the RN/RM split by UK Regular Forces and Volunteer Reserves

Figures from 12 months ending 30 June 2019 to the 12 months ending 31 December 2021 define an application as an online application submitted by an individual and accepted by Defence Recruitment System (DRS). Figures from the 12 months ending 31 December 2021 onwards define an application as an online application submitted by an individual and accepted by Recruitment IT System (RITS). The number of applications to the RN/RM Regular Forces in the 12 months to 31 December 2025 is 39,440 (a provisional figure), which is an increase of 46.0 per cent compared to the 12 months to 31 December 2024 (27,010). Over the same period, applications to the Volunteer Reserves have increased from 2,660 to a provisional estimate of 4,050 (52.0 per cent).

Please note Royal Navy/Royal Marines applications data for 31 March 2025, 30 June 2025, 30 September 2025 and 31 December are provisional and subject to change. Therefore, caution is advised when comparing to past figures. We are currently investigating the source data, and these early estimates will be replaced with more complete and validated final data once available.

Figure 14: Applications to the Army split by UK Regular Forces and Volunteer Reserves

Figures from 12 months ending 30 June 2019 onwards define an application as an online application submitted by an individual and accepted by DRS.

From 1 April 2023 onwards, there has been an amendment in the criteria for extracting the Army applications data from the recruitment system. Therefore, the figures from 1 April 2023 differ in definition, to those captured prior. This amendment is primarily based on the population the candidate initially applied for and the population they are currently in within the pipeline.

The number of applications to the British Army Regular Forces in the 12 months to 31 December 2025 was 115,020, a decrease of 31.5 per cent compared to the 12 months to 31 December 2024 (167,880). Over the same period, applications to the Volunteer Reserves have increased from 30,650 to 32,400 (5.7 per cent).

Commonwealth (CW) applicants are included in the number of applications. The Commonwealth entry numbers are closely controlled. Applications may be refused if no Commonwealth headroom is available. These applicants will then be withdrawn from the pipeline but the application number will still be counted in the overall volume of applications received.

For a one-week period in August 2024, Commonwealth applications to certain trades were opened up which resulted in a huge spike in CW applications. This surge resulted in 41 per cent of Army Regular Other Ranks applications during financial year 2024/2025 coming from CW nationalities. Due to limits on CW Intake, increases in these types of applications are unlikely to affect the overall Intake performance. Additionally, UK and Irish Regular Other Ranks applications during financial year 2024/2025 increased by 16 per cent when compared to the previous year, 87,330 for financial year 2024/2025 compared to 75,520 in financial year 2023/24.

In the first three months of this financial year, UK and Irish applications were 8 per cent lower compared to the same stage last year. There were 20,550 UK and Irish applications in the first three months of financial year 2025/2026 compared to 22,230 in financial year 2024/2025.

Figure 15: Applications to the RAF split by UK Regular Forces and Volunteer Reserves

Figures from 12 months ending 30 June 2019 to the 12 months ending 31 December 2021 define an application as an online application submitted by an individual and accepted by DRS. DRS closed in December 2021. In transitioning to the RITS system the Royal Navy/Royal Marines continued to receive applications whilst the RAF ceased activity until the new recruiting system was operational, hence the break in the series for RAF data. The RITS system was in use from March 2022 and so the first full 12 months of data available for RAF is the period ending March 2023. Therefore, figures from the 12 months ending 31 March 2023 onwards define an application as an online application submitted by an individual and accepted by RITS.

Note that the RITS system was unavailable for online applications for the period 26 September to 4 October 2023, due to system updates. The increase in RAF applications since the introduction of DRS (12 months ending 30 June 2019), is due to the previous recruitment system having a separate frontend, this was used to assist the initial application processing team in filtering out RAF ineligible applications and non-productive enquiries prior to an official application being recorded.

Total RAF application has been consistently rising since 31 March 2023. The number of applications to the RAF Regular Forces in the 12 months to 31 December 2025 was 54,880, an increase of 21.9 per cent compared to the 12 months to 31 December 2024 (45,040). Over the same period, applications to the Volunteer Reserves have increased from 4,760 to 6,380 (33.8 per cent).

Please note whilst application counts for each Service are based on online applications submitted by an individual and accepted by the Service’s applications system, work is ongoing to verify that application processes and definitions are consistent, and we would recommend that numbers should not be aggregated to show UK Armed Forces totals (hence separate tables and graphs are provided).

The number of applications received does not directly relate to Intake figures, since:

• The figures above relate to the number of applications received and not the number of applicants, as one applicant may submit several applications;
• For successful applicants who accept an offer to join the Services, there is a substantial processing time between their application being received and the applicant joining the Services. For example, the 12 months ending Intake figures for 31 December 25 are not comparable with the number of applications received in the same year, as the numbers apply to different cohorts of people;
• Applications will not result in Intake if, for example, they are withdrawn by the applicant during the recruitment process, rejected by the Services, or if an offer to join the Services is declined by the applicant. See below for further information.

There is a break in the time series between 30 September 2017 and 30 June 2019 due to the change in recruiting systems from the Training Administration and Financial Management Information System (TAFMIS) to Defence Recruitment System (DRS) and due to the need to ensure consistency of the start date for reintroduced data between the single Services.

For the Royal Navy/Royal Marines (RN/RM) and the Royal Air Force (RAF), Defence Recruitment System (DRS) closed in December 2021, the change over to the new application system, called Recruitment IT System (RITS) resulted in a loss of the system for 10-12 weeks. For the RN/RM, the change over to the new application system may have resulted in some applications being double counted. For RAF only, the applications being taken forward were migrated to the new system, and therefore there is a break in the time series where data is unavailable. Army continue to use DRS, however experienced a temporary loss of the application system from mid-March 2022 to late May 2022, which resulted in 10 weeks of applications lost (Army estimates are between 10,000-15,000 applications) which, when set against the backdrop of the national economic picture and challenging recruiting market for the public-sector, has had a real impact upon the recruiting pipeline.

Applications that do not result in Intake

The main causes of applicant failure (specifically, no offer to join the Services given) include:

• Failing security clearance;
• Failing the medical scrutiny;
• Not having the required residency;
• Not achieving fitness entry standards;
• Not achieving the required recruiting test score for the desired branch/Trade;
• Applicants withdraw for their own reasons (such as, change of mind) during the process.

The main causes of application failure (specifically, the applicant declines an offer to join):

• Applicants may have submitted other applications for employment (including multiple applications to join the UK Armed Forces) and accept another offer;
• Applications may be submitted with no intention to join (for example, to satisfy the requirements of job seeking).

There is a reporting lag of one quarter meaning 31 December 2025 applications data have been provided in this SPS edition.

10. Policy Background

The main factors affecting decisions about the size of the UK Armed Forces required by the MOD to achieve success in its military tasks include:

• An assessment of current and future threats to UK national security.
• The need for contingent / reactive capability – the requirement to be able to respond immediately to domestic or international crisis.
• Current operational and international obligations (such as, NATO, UN).
• Changes in technology, the introduction of new equipment and restructuring that leads to equipment becoming obsolete or surplus to requirements.
• The need to deliver against the military tasks as efficiently as possible, maintaining a balanced, affordable defence budget.

Service personnel statistics in previous versions of this publication are reported against the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), released in November 2015. Prior to SDSR 2015, publications reported against the planned Future Force 2020, as set out in the SDSR 2010 which planned to reduce the size of the UK Armed Forces.

10.1 Army Trained Strength

On 29 June 2016, the MOD announced that the Army planned to use Regular and Reserve Phase 1 Trained personnel in response to crises within the UK. Following this, the term ‘Trained Strength’ would include all Army personnel Trained in the core function of their Service (specifically, those who have completed Phase 1 Training). The MOD held a public consultation between 11 July and 21 August 2016 on the changes and the resultant impact they will have on this publication. A consultation response was published on 7 October 2016. The changes outlined in the consultation and response have been incorporated into this publication from the 1 October 2016 edition onwards.

From the 1 October 2016 edition, Army personnel who have completed Phase 1 Training and above, are considered Trained personnel. This change enabled the Army to meet the SDSR 15 commitment to improve support to UK resilience. This affects Army figures and Tri-Service totals in some of the accompanying Excel tables, specifically in tables: 3a, 3e, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b and 7c. Terminology has also been updated in Excel tables 3c and 4. The Trained Strength definition for the Royal Navy, RAF, Maritime Reserve and RAF Reserves has not changed, reflecting the requirement for their personnel to complete Phase 2 Training to be able to fulfil the core function of their respective Services.

Army personnel who have completed both Phase 1 and Phase 2 Training are now called ‘Trade Trained’. This population aligns with the old definition of Trained personnel, therefore maintaining the continuity of the statistical time series. The Army have undertaken a review of training requirements and Royal Engineers Other Ranks personnel joining from 1 July 2019 will become Trade Trained after Initial Trade Training (ITT) and will join the Full-time Trade Trained Strength (FTTTS), and therefore we may see a change in the trend.

10.2 Full-Time UK Armed Forces personnel

In order to meet the personnel reduction targets set out in SDSR 2010, the Three Month Exercise (3ME) and Army 2020 (A2020), a redundancy programme coupled with adjusted recruiting (Intake) and contract extensions were set. The aforementioned redundancy programme is now complete.

On 23 November 2015, MOD published the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. SDSR 2015 outlined plans to uplift the size of the UK Regular Armed Forces, setting targets for a Strength of 82,000 for the Army, and increasing the Royal Navy/Royal Marines and Royal Air Force by a total of 700 personnel. The SDSR 2015 Defence Key Facts booklet announced new targets for 2020 for each of the Services.

10.3 Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) Programme

The Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) programme aimed to increase the size of the Reserve Forces. Further information on the growth of the Reserves can be found in the Policy Background section of previous Monthly Service personnel statistics publications.

As a result of the changes to Army Trained Strength (referred to above) and their impact on the Army Reserve, the MOD released a Written Ministerial Statement containing revised Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) Strength growth profiles on 8 November 2016. Reporting of the growth of the Reserves will be based on Strength profiles only.

There has been no formal announcement of new targets beyond 31 March 2019. However, the Ministry of Defence’s recruitment campaign is a long-term programme.

10.4 Reserves Forces 2030 (RF30) Programme

The Reserves Forces 2030 (RF30) Review does not include a target for additional personnel numbers beyond those in the Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) programme.

RF30 builds on the work carried out by FR20. The RF30 Review offers 18 recommendations grouped into four key areas in which the Reserves will need to continue to adapt in order to develop their utility. These are: redefining the Reserves’ relationship with society, expanding the role of the Reserves, unlocking the potential of reservists, and transforming support to the Reserves.

The Ministry of Defence has established an implementation programme to consider the RF30 recommendations. A formal response, or responses, to the RF30 Review will follow the RF30 implementation programme’s detailed analysis of the recommendations.

11. Further Information

Accredited Official Statistics publication

Accredited Official Statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. These Accredited Official Statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in June 2013. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘Accredited Official Statistics’. Accreditation can be broadly interpreted to mean that the statistics:

• meet identified user needs;
• are well explained and readily accessible;
• are produced according to sound methods; and
• are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest.

Further information on the accreditation process can be found here: Accredited Official Statistics.

Once statistics have been designated as Accredited Official Statistics it is a statutory requirement that the Code of Practice shall continue to be observed. Further details about how this report has been developed since its confirmation as an Accredited Official Statistic can be found in the Background Quality Report.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

11.1 Rounding

All figures in this publication have been rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards. For example, a value of “25” would be rounded down to “20” and a value of “15” would be rounded up to “20”. Additionally, totals and sub-totals are rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts.

Percentages are calculated from unrounded data and presented to the nearest integer or to one decimal place.

Due to percentages being rounded to the nearest integer or to one decimal place, sub-totals don’t always add up to 100 per cent.

The MOD Disclosure Control and Rounding policy is published on GOV.UK and we have applied this policy to the statistics in the accompanying Excel tables. The policy is available here.

11.2 Revisions

There are no revisions in the 1 April 2026 edition of the SPS.

11.3 Symbols

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

11.4 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:

Email: Analysis-Tri-Service@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, call: 020 7218 9000

11.5 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? Subscribe to updates by emailing Analysis Tri-Service.

11.6 Freedom of Information requests

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

Other contact points within the Ministry of Defence for Statistics are listed below.

Analysis People Cost Modelling: Email: analysis-people-cost-modelling@mod.gov.uk

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

Naval Service Workforce: Email: Analysis-Navy@mod.gov.uk

Army Workforce: Email: defstrat-stat-army-enquiries@mod.uk

RAF Workforce: Email: Analysis-Air@mod.uk

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

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

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