The variety of civil servants employed by the Ministry of Defence has fallen by greater than half over the previous three many years, in accordance with new figures launched in response to a parliamentary query.
In a written reply to Conservative MP James Cartlidge on 11 July, Defence Minister Al Carns offered a full breakdown of the MOD’s civil service workforce from 1995 to 2025. Firstly of the interval, on 1 April 1995, the division employed 121,654 employees on a full-time equal (FTE) foundation, with a headcount of 123,776.
By 1 April 2025, that determine had fallen to 55,802 FTE and 57,854 in headcount phrases, a discount of greater than 53 per cent. The steepest reductions occurred through the early 2010s. Between 2010 and 2014 alone, the FTE complete fell from 75,651 to 55,509, a lack of over 20,000 positions in simply 4 years.
The figures embody civilian personnel in Government Businesses and predecessor organisations, in addition to Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) employees. RFA personnel had been counted from 1999 onwards. Domestically engaged civilians, who’re employed on separate phrases and circumstances, are usually not included within the totals.
Regardless of a gradual rise in numbers between 2017 and 2024, the newest knowledge for April 2025 exhibits a renewed decline in civilian staffing. The MOD had 57,875 employees in April 2024, 2,073 greater than the present headcount.
Right here’s the desk from the MOD response.
| Date | FTE (Complete) | Headcount (Complete) |
| 01/04/1995 | 121,654 | 123,776 |
| 01/04/1996 | 116,093 | 118,183 |
| 01/04/1997 | 115,260 | 117,379 |
| 01/04/1998 | 108,772 | 110,804 |
| 01/04/1999 | 108,143 | 110,254 |
| 01/04/2000 | 106,430 | 108,622 |
| 01/04/2001 | 104,823 | 107,083 |
| 01/04/2002 | 95,976 | 98,242 |
| 01/04/2003 | 93,737 | 96,002 |
| 01/04/2004 | 93,619 | 95,647 |
| 01/04/2005 | 92,812 | 94,815 |
| 01/04/2006 | 88,832 | 91,007 |
| 01/04/2007 | 83,843 | 86,289 |
| 01/04/2008 | 78,260 | 80,589 |
| 01/04/2009 | 76,072 | 78,357 |
| 01/04/2010 | 75,651 | 77,986 |
| 01/04/2011 | 72,486 | 74,782 |
| 01/04/2012 | 61,621 | 63,445 |
| 01/04/2013 | 57,148 | 58,772 |
| 01/04/2014 | 55,509 | 57,134 |
| 01/04/2015 | 53,143 | 54,749 |
| 01/04/2016 | 51,896 | 53,455 |
| 01/04/2017 | 52,430 | 54,065 |
| 01/04/2018 | 52,641 | 54,345 |
| 01/04/2019 | 53,509 | 55,324 |
| 01/04/2020 | 54,665 | 56,579 |
| 01/04/2021 | 56,291 | 58,234 |
| 01/04/2022 | 56,123 | 58,021 |
| 01/04/2023 | 56,849 | 58,770 |
| 01/04/2024 | 57,875 | 59,859 |
| 01/04/2025 | 55,802 | 57,854 |
These figures present MOD civil servants, together with personnel in Government Businesses and their predecessor organisations, relationship again to 1995.
The desk consists of personnel employed within the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) in assist of Naval operations. These personnel are categorised as civil servants for contractual functions however exclude regionally engaged civilians (LECs), who’re employed underneath alternate phrases and circumstances. Please be aware that RFA knowledge was not recorded in personnel numbers till 1 April 1999. RFA personnel are categorised as Headcount personnel.