Armed Forces: Discharges

Service personnel statistics on strengths, requirements, intake, applications and outflow, by service is published as part of the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics (SPS) publication. The latest publication as at 1 April 2026 can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2026

Average length of Service is calculated as the mean total time served from exit, and figures have been rounded down to the nearest complete year. Total averages and subtotal averages are calculated separately from unrounded data and so may not equal to the sums of their parts.

It should be noted that the average length of Service can be affected by changes to engagement types, policy changes, and external factors such as the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and redundancy periods.

The following table shows the mean average length of Service at exit, in years, by Service.

1. UK Regular comprise full time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but exclude Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, Mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR), and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel.

1. Figures correspond to outflow from the Trained (Royal Navy/Royal Marines and Royal Air Force), Trade Trained (Army), and Untrained UK Regular Forces, including personnel leaving the Services, deaths, and recalled Reservists on release. They do not include promotion from Other Ranks to Officers or flows between Services.

1. For Army, Untrained figures include individuals undertaking the Soldier Preparation Course.

The following table shows the Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) mean average length of Service at exit, in years, by Service.

1. Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) includes Volunteer Reserves who are mobilised, High Readiness Reserves (HRR) and Volunteer Reserve personnel serving on Additional Duties Commitment (ADC) or Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS) contracts. Sponsored Reserves who provide a more cost-effective solution than Volunteer Reserves are also included in the Army Reserve Future Reserve (FR20). Non-Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI), University Officer Cadets, and Regular Reservists are excluded.

1. Figures correspond to outflow that is derived by month-on-month comparisons of Strength. These figures include outflow to specific populations, including outflow to the UK Regular Armed Forces, or another Reserve population not included in FR20. Personnel flowing from the Trained to the Untrained Strengths are not captured in this table.

1. Tri-Services figures correspond to outflow that includes transfers between the Maritime Reserve, Army Future Reserves 2020, and Royal Air Force Reserves.