Gurkha recruits record perfect pass rate as wider Army dropout figures revealed

Every single Gurkha recruit who began training at the Infantry Training Centre (ITC) in Catterick earlier this year has completed Phase One and Two training – marking a rare 100% pass rate that sets them apart from all other recruits to the British Army.

The 274 men, who arrived from Nepal in February, officially joined the ranks of the Brigade of Gurkhas following their passing out parade.

News of their success came just days after the Government revealed how many non-Gurkha regular Army recruits had dropped out of Phase One and Two training over the course of the past five years.

• An Army role model: Injured Gurkha Hari Budha Magar seeks to inspire new recruits
• Heavy, hilly and hard: Pirbright instructors try their hand at Gurkhas' Doko Race
• Exclusive: Gurkhas – on final exercise with the newest batch of recruits

The figures show that between 2018 and the end of 2023, the average proportion of Regular Army recruits who did not complete training stood at 28.5%, with the Army Foundation College recording the highest average dropout rate at 34%.

ITC Catterick – where the Gurkhas also train – recorded an average dropout rate of 32.5%.

In the south, Army Training Regiment Winchester saw 24.5% of its recruits failing to make it all the way to their units, while Army Training Centre Pirbright recorded the lowest dropout rate at 23%.

The figures do not include Gurkhas and were correct as of 1 July 2025.

Talking to BFBS Forces News, the officer responsible for training Gurkha recruits said a number of factors contributed to his recruits doing so well.

"This is more about the individual as a trainee," Major Gyan Dhenga, Officer Commanding Gurkha Company, said.

"They are self-motivated, they are persons who are desperately looking for this job. So, when they are motivated themselves, it is easy for the training staff to motivate them, too.

"Also, the training team always look after them very well. They treat them as part of the family."

Training Gurkha recruits – or Trainee Riflemen, as they are formally known – lasts nine months, longer than the standard British infantry course, and follows what is generally considered the most arduous selection process in the Army.

And while other Army recruits complete Phase One training and then specialise in specific trade roles, such as engineering, Gurkha recruits complete both Phase One and Two infantry training before specialising.

It means Gurkhas – regardless of whether they become infanteers, engineers or bandsmen – are all professional infantrymen first.

Major General Gerald Strickland, Colonel Commandant of the Brigade of Gurkhas, inspected the new soldiers during their passing-out parade, addressing them in their native tongue as he congratulated them on completing their training.

After the parade, Trainee Rifleman Ram Chandra Gurung, who is joining the Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, said he would miss the friends he'd made during his time in Catterick.

Trainee Rifleman Safal Thapa Magar, who is joining the 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, said he felt honoured, proud and excited for the future.