British Armed Forces - Statistics & Facts

After reaching a post-1945 peak of 871,700 personnel in 1952, the size of the British Armed Forces has fallen considerably, to a low of just 144,430 personnel by 2019, before rising slightly to 149,280 by 2021. As of the most recent year, the Armed Forces are comprised of 82,230 personnel in the British Army, 33,200 in the Royal Air Force (RAF), 27,210 in the Royal Navy, and 6,640 in the Royal Marines. The majority of the British Armed Forces were male this year, making up 132,810 of the personnel, compared with 16,470 females. Across all branches and ranks in the armed forces, the average age of personnel was 31, with the army having the youngest average age at 30 and the RAF the highest at 33.

Why has the army shrank so much?

The reduction in the size of the British Armed Forces throughout the latter half of the twentieth century reflects the period of decolonization that occurred in this period. Despite attempts by Britain to hold onto its empire after World War Two, it had virtually disappeared by the 1970s, lowering the number of conflicts that involved the UK. The end of the Cold War in 1989 further diminished the scope of the military's overseas commitments, leading to a relatively rapid fall in personnel in the early 1990s. UK defense spending also fell sharply in this period, from 5.5 percent of GDP in 1984 to just 2.2 percent 20 years later in 2004. Since reaching this point, defense spending has fluctuated between 2.5 and 2.1 percent and was 2.3 percent in 2020. Although this is only slightly above the NATO target of spending at least two percent of GDP on defense, the UK still spends more on defense than many NATO members.

Operational deaths in the armed forces

Since 1945, the year with the highest number of operational deaths in the British Armed Forces was 1951, when there were 829. In this year, Britain was involved in three different conflicts, the Malay Emergency, the Anglo-Egyptian War, and the Korean War. By the 1960s, there were typically far fewer operational deaths, with a spike of 296 deaths occurring in 1982 due to the Falklands War. Britain's involvement in the War in Afghanistan and subsequent Iraq War from the early 2000s onwards led to increased operational deaths during that period. However, there have been far fewer fatalities in recent years, with 16 deaths reported between January 1, 2014, and February 28, 2021.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

Number of active personnel in the UK armed forces in 2022: 147,980

UK defense spending as a share of GDP in 2020: 2.3%

Number of operational deaths in the UK armed forces since World War Two: 7,192

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Public sector expenditure on defense in the United Kingdom from 1998/99 to 2021/22 (in billion GBP)

Government Finances

Government spending on defense in the UK 1998-2022

Number of fixed-wing aircraft in the Royal Air Force and other Armed Forces of the United Kingdom as of 2021, by type

National Security

Number of aircraft in the Royal Air Force of the UK 2021

Military expenditure as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in highest spending countries 2021

National Security

Military expenditure as share of GDP 2021, by country

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Personnel

Basic Statistic Number of personnel in UK armed forces 1900-2022
Number of personnel in UK armed forces 1900-2022
Number of personnel in the armed forces of the United Kingdom from 1900 to 2022 (in 1,000s)
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Number of personnel in the UK armed forces 2012-2022 by branch
Number of personnel in the armed forces of the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2022, by military branch (in 1,000s)
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Number of personnel employed in the armed forces of the United Kingdom in 2021, by age
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Average age of UK armed forces in 2021, by branch
Average age of personnel in United Kingdom armed forces in 2021, by military branch

Combat and Equipment

Basic Statistic Number of operational deaths for the UK armed forces 1945-2022
Number of operational deaths for the UK armed forces 1945-2022
Number of operational deaths of the armed forces of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 2022
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Number of operational deaths for the UK armed forces 1945-2022, by conflict
Number of operational deaths of the armed forces of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 2022, by theater
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Premium Statistic Number of key land platforms in the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom 2020
Number of key land platforms in the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom 2020
Number of key land platforms in the United Kingdom's Armed Forces in 2020, by type
Premium Statistic Number of vessels in the Royal Navy of the UK 2020
Number of vessels in the Royal Navy of the UK 2020
Number of vessels in the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom in 2020, by type
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Number of aircraft in the Royal Air Force of the UK 2021
Number of fixed-wing aircraft in the Royal Air Force and other Armed Forces of the United Kingdom as of 2021, by type
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Number of helicopters in the Royal Air Force of the UK 2021, by type
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Expenditure

Premium Statistic Government spending on defense in the UK 1998-2022
Government spending on defense in the UK 1998-2022
Public sector expenditure on defense in the United Kingdom from 1998/99 to 2021/22 (in billion GBP)
Basic Statistic Defense spending as share of GDP in the UK 1980-2021
Defense spending as share of GDP in the UK 1980-2021
Defense expenditure as a share of GDP in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 2021
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Defense spending by type in the UK 2021/22
Public sector expenditure on defense in the United Kingdom in 2021/22, by type (in million GBP)
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UK armed forces salaries 2020/21, by rank
Average annual salaries in the armed forces of the United Kingdom in 2020/21, by rank (in British pounds)

Overview

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Defense expenditures of NATO countries in 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)
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Defense expenditures of NATO countries as a percentage of GDP 2022
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