Skip to main content

Army Strength

Volume 455: debated on Monday 22 January 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the size of the Army has changed since 1982. (116793)

The table shows the Army total strength for each year at 1 April since 1982:

Total strength

1982

163,150

1983

159,070

1984

161,540

1985

162,400

1986

161,400

1987

159,690

1988

158,110

1989

155,570

1990

152,810

1991

147,640

1992

145,360

1993

134,580

1994

123,030

1995

111,690

1996

108,840

1997

108,810

1998

109,830

1999

109,720

2000

110,050

2001

109,530

2002

110,050

2003

112,130

2004

112,750

2005

109,290

2006

107,730

Notes: 1. Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in the nearest multiple of 5 have been rounded to 20 to prevent systematic bias. 2. The figures in the table are the latest published version available. Over the period 1982-2006 it is possible that these figures have subsequently been revised and also that definitions of strength have changed slightly. UK regular forces includes nursing services and excludes full-time reserve service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists.