Official Statistics

UK armed forces personnel statistics: background quality reports

Background quality reports for statistics on UK armed forces and reserves strength, intake, outflow and demographic information.

• From: Ministry of Defence
• Published: 1 May 2012
• Last updated: 15 December 2025
  Show all updates

  1. 15 December 2025

     Added 'Background quality report UK armed forces: December 2025' - HTML attachment and 'Background quality report UK armed forces: December 2025' - pdf attachment

  2. 11 October 2024

     Updated 'Background quality report UK armed forces: April 2024' with definitions reported in the biannual diversity statistics for protected characteristics: gender, age, religion, nationality, sexual orientation and ethnicity.

  3. 17 July 2024

     Added Background quality report UK armed forces: April 2024.

  4. 20 April 2023

     Added Background quality report UK armed forces: April 2023.

  5. 15 December 2022

     Added: Background quality report UK armed forces for October 2022.

  6. 27 May 2021

     Addition of: Background quality report UK armed forces for May 2021.

  7. 2 June 2020

     Added the Background quality report UK armed forces for June 2020.

  8. 21 February 2019

     Added Background quality report UK armed forces: February 2019.

  9. 17 November 2016

     Added Background quality report UK armed forces: November 2016.

  10. 13 August 2015

      Added August 2015 BQR.

  11. 16 December 2014

      Added Background quality report UK armed forces: November 2014.

  12. 1 May 2012

      First published.

Documents

Background quality report UK armed forces: December 2025

HTML

Background quality report UK armed forces: December 2025

PDF, 585 KB, 42 pages

Background quality report UK armed forces: April 2024

HTML

Background quality report UK armed forces: April 2024

PDF, 640 KB, 41 pages

Background quality report UK armed forces: April 2023

HTML

Background quality report UK armed forces: April 2023

PDF, 678 KB, 38 pages

Background quality report UK armed forces: October 2022

HTML

Background quality report UK armed forces: October 2022

PDF, 575 KB, 28 pages

Background quality report UK armed forces: May 2021

PDF, 349 KB, 27 pages

Background quality report UK armed forces: June 2020

PDF, 276 KB, 27 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email ddc-modinternet@mod.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Background quality report UK armed forces: February 2019

PDF, 390 KB, 27 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email ddc-modinternet@mod.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Background quality report UK armed forces: November 2016

PDF, 231 KB

Background quality report UK armed forces: August 2015

PDF, 188 KB, 23 pages

Background quality report UK armed forces: November 2014

PDF, 62.7 KB

Background quality report UK armed forces: January 2014

PDF, 60.6 KB, 7 pages

Background quality report UK armed forces: December 2013

PDF, 61.5 KB, 7 pages

Background quality report UK armed forces: May 2012

PDF, 59.3 KB, 8 pages

Background quality report UK armed forces: June 2011

PDF, 85.9 KB, 7 pages

Details

The purpose of a background quality report is to inform users of the statistics about the quality of the data used to produce the publication and any statistics derived from that data.