The British Army is getting smaller despite escalating global threats, new Ministry of Defence figures have revealed. The regular army has brought in more recruits, but the number joining up are being outstripped by the numbers leaving.
In the year to June 30, 13,520 recruits joined the regular forces — an uptick of 1,580, or 13%, on the previous year. However, 14,020 left, a fall of 1,700, or 11%, over the same period. Meanwhile, in the year to July, 3,840 people joined the reserves, 40 fewer than last year, while 4,210 left, creating a shortfall of 370.
This comes as the war in Ukraine continues to rage, with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s army still numbering over one million.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army remains the world’s largest at over two million troops, according to World Population Review.
The Labour government has made army recruitment a priority. Over the past year, the MoD has substantially reduced the gap between those joining and leaving. Plus, the number of applications has ballooned over the past 12 months. However, the slow application process has meant that those joining up are not replacing those leaving quickly enough.
Applications to join the British Army as a regular soldier or officer increased by a massive 43.4%, or 162,170, in the 12 months to March 31 2025, compared with the previous year. In the same time frame, applications to the volunteer reserves swelled from 24,660 to 31,450, or 27.5%. Yet despite this, Britain’s entire armed forces – the army, Royal Navy, and RAF – has shrunk by 2% since July last year.
Helen Maguire, the Liberal Democrats’ defence spokeswoman and a former captain in the Royal Military Police who served in Iraq, said that “trend poses fundamental problems for our national security”.
An MoD spokesman said: “This government inherited a recruitment crisis, with targets being missed every year for the past 14 years and is taking decisive action to stop the long-term decline in numbers.
“We are working to speed up the process of integrating those who wish to rejoin back into the armed forces, as well as giving personnel the largest pay rise in decades, scrapping 100 outdated recruitment policies including measures blocking recruitment of some sufferers of hay fever, eczema and acne and passing legislation through the Commons to introduce a new armed forces commissioner to improve service life.”