Number of British Army soldiers down almost 9,000 since April 2014

New figures from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) show that the number of soldiers in the British Army continues to drop.

In April 2014, there were 87,176 fully trained troops in the British Army. That number has been on a steady slide ever since, to the point that in April 2017, it sat at 78,407.

This current figure is close to 4,000 short of the government’s target of 82,000, which it hasn’t exceeded since April 2015 (82,231).

Some 8,194 soldiers joined the British Army between April 2016 and March this year. However, this was negated by the departure of 9,775 personnel during the same period.

A statement from the MOD claimed there was no single reason behind personnel leaving, but family life and “opportunities outside the forces” were two of the more prevalent reasons given.

The Army added that the force currently has enough people to “meet all our current commitments at home and abroad” and insisted recruitment numbers were on the rise.