Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the size of the armed forces was on (a) 24 February 2022 and (b) 6 April 2026.

As of 1 October 2025, Armed Forces intake was greater than outflow. This is the first time in four years, and this welcome trend continues in the latest data. As of 1 January 2026, compared to 12 months ago, the overall strength of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force had increased by over 1%, and the Army’s had increased by 0.2%. For all three Services, intake is increasing and outflow is reducing.

Figures relating to Armed Forces strengths are published in the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics, the most recent edition of which can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2026. The closest published editions to the dates requested are 1 April 2022 and 1 January 2026; the size of the Armed Forces on those dates were, respectively, 196,244 and 182,052.