How Gen Z is the UK military?

How many young people - Generation Z - are joining the UK's Armed Forces?

The demographic cohort known as Gen Z is generally accepted as referring to people born between 1997 and 2012.

Those belonging to Gen Z are therefore aged between 12 and 27, with 16 being the youngest age at which someone can join up.

But former defence secretary Ben Wallace recently warned the UK military's recruitment effort was in crisis because Generation Z was not signing up to serve.

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Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari, Mr Wallace, who stepped down as defence secretary last August, said Britain needed to increase the number of younger people joining the Armed Forces.

The former Army officer said: "We also need to do some things differently. Generation Z is not joining the Armed Forces in the way my generation did.

"And post-Covid, skill shortages in engineering and all sorts of things are a real challenge."

Mr Wallace's comments come after the First Sea Lord last year admitted the Royal Navy was struggling to recruit young people who need "permanent connectivity" with their friends and family - and Generation Z was too hooked on smartphones to sign up as submariners.

Forces News has delved into the statistics to look at the overall picture, which shows that as of 1 October 2023 at least 25% of the UK military's regular forces were made up of people in Generation Z.

The Ministry of Defence recently published its UK Armed Forces Biannual Diversity Statistics: October 2023.

The information contained within the report also looks at the gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion and sexual orientation of military personnel.

Overall

As of 1 October 2023, 25.2% of the UK regular forces and 8.6% of the reserves were under the age of 25.

Compared to the previous 12 months, this has decreased by 0.3% in the regulars and 0.5% in the reserves.

Of the officers, 7.4% of the UK regular forces and 4.6% of the reserves were under 25 years old.

Of other ranks, those under 25 accounted for 29.7% of the regular forces and 9.9% of reserves.

Intake

In the 12 months ending 30 September 2023, just 7.4% of officers joining the UK Armed Forces were aged 30 and over, while the remaining 92.6% were aged 18 to 29.

The MOD said the intake age profiles were heavily influenced by personnel having left higher education before joining, with 63.1% of all officer intake occurring between ages 20 and 24.

Elsewhere, 51% of other regular ranks joining were under the age of 20.

There has, however, been a decrease compared to the 12 months to 30 September 2022, where the intake of other ranks in the UK regular forces under the age of 18 has decreased by 1.1%.

In the 12 months to 30 September 2023, 18.5% of the intake to the reserves were officers - 700 people.

The figures show that 68.3% of them were aged 30 and over, and 31.7% aged 18 to 29.

There is also a larger intake of personnel in the over-50 age group in the reserves, which can partly be explained by different eligibility requirements to regular forces, with many having previously served.

In the 12 months to 30 September 2023, 61.6% of those joining the reserves had previously served in the Armed Forces.

Outflow

When looking at numbers of young personnel leaving the military, almost half (48.8%) of other ranks leaving the UK regular forces in the 12 months to 30 September 2023 were between the ages of 18-29.

In comparison, just 13.8% of officers leaving the UK regular forces in the same period were from the same age range.

For the reserves, 16.6% of officers leaving were aged between 18 and 29, while the figure for other ranks was 31.8%.

In February 2023, the then-youngest trained soldier in the British Army refuted claims that 16 is too young to join the military.

Speaking within minutes of passing out of basic training, Sapper Byron Davis told Forces News he "completely disagreed" with those who have criticised the Army's policy of recruiting under-18s.

The British Army allows applications to join the service from the age of 15 years and seven months, with actual entry once they turn 16.

But anyone under 18 must gain parental consent to join.

Soldiers under the age of 18 are not permitted to serve on operations.

The teenager completed his phase one training at the Army Foundation College Harrogate and progressed to specific trade training in the Royal Engineers.

At 16 years, 10 months and 26 days, Spr Davis was then officially the youngest trained soldier in the British Army.