Reversing the trend: More people joined Regular Armed Forces than left in last quarter, figures show

The tide appears to be turning on military recruitment, as new figures show more people joined the UK's Regular Armed Forces over the last year than have left – a first in four years.

The total number of personnel stands at 182,060, an increase of 510 compared to the headcount in October 2024.

The previous quarterly statistics, published in August this year, had shown a decline in headcount of 500 people.

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In the last 12 months, 14,100 joined the Regular Armed Forces and 13,860 left. This means retention is up by 13% – for the first time in four years.

The rise in the number of new recruits has been felt across all three services – the Regular Armed Forces gained 240 personnel, while the RAF gained 330, and the Royal Marines and Royal Navy 380.

However, it's not a totally rosy picture: the full-time trained strength of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, RAF and Army fell by 1,760 within the 12-month period. Numbers in the reserve force also declined slightly, with 4,080 people leaving the Future Reserves compared to 3,950 who joined.

Are the numbers paying off?

Over the last year, the Army has paid particular attention to younger recruits and how to attract them, such as by lifting its 100-year ban on beards in March 2024.

There have been further pay rises between 3.25% and 4.5% this year to try to get personnel to stay, following a 6% increase in 2023.

Outdated medical polices were also removed, and a direct entry cyber pathway has been introduced to open up pathways into the military for tech-savvy civilians. 

The full quarterly service personnel statistics can be found here.