Army: Recruitment
(asked on 7th December 2016) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of recruits enlisting into the Army (a) under and (b) over the age of 18 were enlisted into (i) the infantry and (ii) any other frontline role in each of the last 10 years.
The table below shows the number and percentage of recruits under and over the age of 18 who were recruited into the infantry:
Financial year | Age Group | Infantry Enlistments | % of Total Army Enlistments |
2007-08 | Under 18 | 1,720 | 36.8% |
18 and Over | 2,670 | 35.1% | |
2008-09 | Under 18 | 1,640 | 37.7% |
18 and Over | 3,240 | 38.4% | |
2009-10 | Under 18 | 1,330 | 37.2% |
18 and Over | 3,270 | 37.3% | |
2010-11 | Under 18 | 1,100 | 46.0% |
18 and Over | 2,220 | 41.1% | |
2011-12 | Under 18 | 1,300 | 44.6% |
18 and Over | 3,270 | 44.9% | |
2012-13 | Under 18 | 930 | 40.5% |
18 and Over | 2,910 | 40.7% | |
2013-14 | Under 18 | 690 | 39.1% |
18 and Over | 1,380 | 30.9% | |
2014-15 | Under 18 | 720 | 39.8% |
18 and Over | 1,980 | 35.9% | |
2015-16 | Under 18 | 730 | 40.8% |
18 and Over | 1,960 | 34.0% | |
1 April to 1 October 2016 | Under 18 | 490 | 40.9% |
18 and Over | 990 | 32.1% |
The Army does not define roles as frontline or non-frontline. All soldiers, regardless of capbadge, are trained for a wide range of operational tasks and environments, including combat.