Civilian personnel biannual diversity dashboard report April 2024
Published 30 May 2024
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Introduction
This statistical release presents figures on the current numbers and proportions for diversity characteristics of civilian personnel employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The report covers civilian personnel within MOD Main Top Level Budgetary areas (TLB) and excludes personnel in organisations with delegated personnel functions: Trading Fund and Executive Agencies, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Locally engaged civilians.
This statistical release is produced as part of the transparency and accountability of the Ministry of Defence to Parliament and the public. The information has a wide range of users including the media, politicians, academic researchers and the general public who use the information to:
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understand the size and distribution of MOD Main civilian personnel by individual diversity categories
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assist in understanding the effect of changes in MOD policy, for instance changes to diversity analysis within recruiting
For further information on the MOD Diversity Dashboard please visit:
Please note at 1 April 2024 the presentation of data within this report and the accompanying Excel ODS tables have been updated to enhance the usability and clarity of the presented data.
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Please contact us at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing [email protected] or via the OSR website.
Main Points and Trends
At 1 April 2024, the headcount of MOD Main civilian personnel is 38,008. Of these:
45.9% are female, a rise of 0.7 percentage points compared with 1 April 2023. ————————————————————————————————————————————— 6.7% are ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), a rise of 0.3 percentage points compared with 1 April 2023. ————————————————————————————————————————————— 3.3% identify as being lesbian, gay & bisexual (LGB), a rise of 0.4 percentage points compared with 1 April 2023. ————————————————————————————————————————————— 14.3% have declared a disability, an increase of 2.4 percentage points compared with 1 April 2023. ————————————————————————————————————————————— 10.2% are part-time personnel, no change compared with 1 April 2023. ————————————————————————————————————————————— 59.0% have declared a religion or belief, a fall of 1.2 percentage points compared with 1 April 2023. ————————————————————————————————————————————— The average age is 47.2 years, a reduction of 0.3 years compared with 1 April 2023. —————————————————————————————————————————————
Declaration rates for self-declared diversity fields have been decreasing over time (figure 1.1). Though reduced by 4.7 percentage points since 1 April 2022, ethnicity has the highest declaration rate of all self-declared diversity fields addressed in this report at 81.5%. Sexual orientation and religion and belief declaration rates are similar at 74.2% and 73.8%; a fall of 4.2 and 3.6 percentage points from 1 April 2022, respectively. The self-declared diversity field with the lowest declaration rate is disability status, which has fallen by 11.6 percentage points to 64.3% from 1 April 2022.
Figure 1.1 Declaration rates for ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion and belief and disability status, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
Declaration Rate: Declaration rates are calculated for self-diversity fields including ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion and belief, and disability status. Declaration rate is the number of personnel who make an ‘active declaration’ as a proportion of the total personnel. To ensure meaningful representation rates for a diversity field, a minimum 60% declaration level is required.
Representation Rate: The number of personnel who select a particular active diversity option as a proportion of the total personnel within ‘active declaration’. An active declaration excludes unknown and undeclared records, such as ‘prefer not to say’.
Age and grade
At 1 April 2024, the average age of MOD Main civilian personnel was 47.2 years with just over a third (33.9%) aged 50 to 59 years old, and half (50.5%) of all civilians aged 50 and over (figure 2.1). Those aged 30 to 39 and 40 to 49 represent 20.3% and 18.0% respectively whilst 16 to 29 represent the smallest proportion at 11.3%.
The proportions of those aged 40 to 49 and 50 to 59 has been reducing, whilst age bands 16 to 29 and 30 to 39 have been increasing. Combined with the increase in proportion of those aged 60 and over, this has resulted in a slight decrease to the average age of MOD Main civilian personnel, when compared with 1 April 2022 (47.7).
Figure 2.1 – Age band distribution, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
At 1 April 2024, just over a third (34.2%) of MOD Main civilians were in grade bands HEO to SEO, followed by a third (30.0%) in grade bands AA to AO (figure 2.2). 17.5% of civilian personnel were from the grade band EO, 9.4% from grade band G7 to G6 and 0.9% were in SCS. Of all MOD Main civilians, 7.7% were in industrial grades.
Since 1 April 2022, the proportion of personnel in grade band G7 to G6 and HEO to SEO has been increasing gradually, whilst the proportion of personnel within grade bands EO and AA to AO has been slowly decreasing. SCS proportions have remained similar over time.
Figure 2.2 – Grade band distribution, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
Non-industrial Personnel Civilian personnel who undertake work such as administration, analysis, policy, procurement, finance, medical, dental, teaching, policing, science and engineering.
Industrial personnel Civilian personnel employed primarily in a trade, craft or other manual labour occupation. This covers a wide range of work employing professionals such as industrial technicians, air freight handlers, storekeepers, vergers and drivers.
Figure 2.3 presents the age distribution within grade bands. At 1 April 2024, more than half of MOD Main civilians in grade bands EO (50.5%), HEO to SEO (55.7%) and G7 to G6 (56.3%) were 16 to 49 years old. Conversely, over half of those in grade bands AA to AO (53.9%) and SCS (52.5%), were aged 50 and over. For those in industrial grades, nearly three quarters (74.6%) were aged 50 and over.
Figure 2.3 – Age band distribution by grade band, 1 April 2024
Sex
At 1 April 2024, 45.9% of MOD Main civilians were female (figure 3.1). Over time the proportion of females has been slowly increasing, with the gap between females and males gradually narrowing from 11.0 percentage points at 1 April 2022 to 8.2 percentage points at 1 April 2024.
Figure 3.1 – Percentage of MOD Main civilian personnel by sex, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
Figure 3.2 presents the percentage of females within each grade band. The proportion of females in industrial grades is currently, and has historically been, the lowest proportion of all grade bands. At 1 April 2024 the proportion of females in industrial grades was 16.6%, though it has increased by 1.2 percentage points since 1 April 2022.
At 1 April 2024, for grade bands AA to AO through to G7 to G6, the proportion of females are within 3.7 percentage points of each other; AA to AO (48.3%), EO (49.6%), HEO to SEO (48.8%) and G7 to G6 (45.9%). For grade bands EO, HEO to SEO and G7 to G6 the proportion of females has been slowly increasing, whilst for AO to AA there has been a slight decrease from 1 April 2022. At SCS grade, females represent 39.9%, which has remained consistent since 1 April 2022.
Figure 3.2 – Percentage of females by grade band, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
Grade Charts
Charts by grade band for each diversity category have been compiled, based on analysis within the grade band. For instance, for each grade band, the number of female personnel is divided by the total population, and multiplied by 100 to get the percentage of the distribution. This means that female and male proportions split by grade band will add up to 100%. The resulting chart will represent the proportion (%) of females within a grade. For self-declared diversity fields, the number will be divided by the total active declaration for that grade band, excluding unknown and undeclared personnel.
Other grades have been excluded from the charts, but further information may be found within the accompanying Excel ODS tables.
At 1 April 2024, there were more females than males in age bands 30 to 39 (51.7%) and 40 to 49 (52.5%). The age band with the lowest proportion of females is 60 and over with just over a third (33.6%). Across all age bands, the proportion of females has been slowly increasing (figure 3.3).
Figure 3.3 – Percentage of females and males by age band, 1 April 2023 to 1 April 2024
Age Band Charts
Charts by age band for each diversity category have been compiled, based on analysis within the age band. For instance, for each age band, the number of female personnel is divided by the total population and multiplied by 100 to get the percentage of the distribution. This means that the female and male proportions split by age will add up to 100%. The resulting chart will represent the proportion (%) of males and females within an age band. For self-declared diversity fields, the number will be divided by the total active declaration for that age band, excluding unknown and undeclared personnel.
Ethnicity
Of those with a known ethnicity, the percentage of MOD Main civilian personnel who are from an ethnic minority background is slowly increasing from 6.0% at 1 April 2022 to 6.7% at 1 April 2024 (figure 4.1). For further breakdown of ethnic groups within ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), please see Excel ODS table 4.1 and 4.2.
Figure 4.1 – Percentage of MOD Main civilian personnel by ethnicity, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
At 1 April 2024, the grade bands with the highest representation rates of ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) are G7 to G6 (8.2%) and HEO to SEO (7.8%). Grade bands EO and AA to AO both present representation rates of 6.2%, whilst SCS is 5.7%. Industrial grades present the lowest ethnic minority (excluding white minority) representation rates at 3.3%. The proportion of ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) has been slightly increasing across all grade bands from 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024 (figure 4.2).
Please note, the time series for SCS must be interpreted with some caution as the comparatively smaller size of SCS personnel means rates are more volatile.
Figure 4.2 – Ethnic minority representation by grade band, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
At 1 April 2024, MOD Main civilian personnel in age bands 16 to 29, 30 to 39 and 40 to 49 present higher ethnic minority (excluding white minority) representation rates than those aged 50 and over; 16 to 29 (9.4%), 30 to 39 (9.2%) and 40 to 49 (8.4%). The representation rates of ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) for age bands 50 to 59 and 60 and over are 4.8% and 4.9% respectively. Across all age bands, the representation of ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) has increased from 1 April 2023 to 1 April 2024 (figure 4.3).
Figure 4.3 – Ethnicity grouping by age band, 1 April 2023 to 1 April 2024
Sexual Orientation
Of those with a known sexual orientation, 3.3% of MOD Main civilians identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual and other orientations (LGB). Between 1 April 2022 and 1 April 2024, the representation rates of LGB has steadily increased by 0.5 percentage points (figure 5.1)
Figure 5.1 – Percentage of MOD Main civilian personnel by sexual orientation, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual (LGB)
The term refers to those who self-identify their sexual orientation as being other than heterosexual, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual and other orientations. Transgender people may or may not identify as with these orientations.
At 1 April 2024, the LGB representation rate for all non-industrial grade bands was between 3.0% and 3.7%, whilst industrial grades had the lowest LGB representation rate at 2.1% (figure 5.2). Between 1 April 2022 and 1 April 2024 all grade bands have shown an increase in LGB representation rates with a range of 0.2 to 0.6 percentage points. Please note, the time series for LGB representation rates by grade must be interpreted with some caution as the comparatively smaller size of populations declaring an LGB sexual orientation mean rates are more volatile.
Figure 5.2 – LGB representation by grade band, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
The sexual orientation declaration rate for civilian personnel aged 16 to 29 is below 60%, therefore representation rates have not been presented. Further information on sexual orientation and age can be found in the accompanying Excel ODS tables 5.5 and 5.6.
Religion and Belief
At 1 April 2024 the percentage of MOD Main civilian personnel reporting a religion or belief was 59.0%, whilst the percentage of personnel reporting no religion or belief was 39.0% (figure 6.1). The most commonly reported religion or belief was Christianity at 55.1%. From 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024, the proportion of those reporting a religion and belief has been falling, corresponding with an increase in reporting of no religion and belief. For further figures on the individual religion and beliefs recorded, please see Excel ODS, tables 6.1 and 6.2.
Figure 6.1 – Percentage of MOD Main civilian personnel by religion and belief, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
At 1 April 2024, MOD Main civilians in industrial grades presented the highest proportion of reporting religion and belief with 64.9% whilst HEO to SEO had the lowest proportion at 56.3%. The proportions of personnel reporting a religion and belief in grade bands from EO through to G7 to G6 have decreased from 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024 (figure 6.2). Please note, the time series for SCS must be interpreted with some caution as the comparatively smaller size of SCS personnel means rates are more volatile.
Figure 6.2 – Religion and belief representation by grade band, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
At 1 April 2024, for age band 16 to 29 the proportion of civilian personnel reporting a religion and belief was 30.2%, compared with 77.8% for those aged 60 and over. From 1 April 2023 to 1 April 2024, the proportion of personnel reporting a religion and belief has increased as the age bands increase (figure 6.3). All age bands have seen an increase in the proportions of reporting of no religion and belief between 1 April 2023 to 1 April 2024.
Figure 6.3 – Religion and belief by age band, 1 April 2023 to 1 April 2024
Disability
The proportion of MOD Main civilian personnel who have declared themselves as disabled was 14.3% at 1 April 2024 (figure 7.1).
Figure 7.1 – Percentage of MOD Main civilian personnel by disability status, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
In the period from 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024, the declaration rate of MOD Main civilian personnel, recording an active disability status, has decreased by 11.6 percentage points to 64.3% (table 1, figure 1). It is important to note that to ensure meaningful representation rates for a diversity field, high declaration rates are required and therefore representation rates for disability status should be interpreted with caution; disability status is unknown for 35.7% of MOD Main civilian personnel.
Table 1 – Declaration and representation of disability status of MOD Main civilian personnel, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
| April 22 | October 22 | April 23 | October 23 | April 24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Declaration Rate (%) | 75.9 | 72.8 | 70.2 | 66.8 | 64.3 |
| Unknown (%) | 24.1 | 27.2 | 29.8 | 33.2 | 35.7 |
| Disabled Representation Proportion (%) | 11.4 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 13.8 | 14.3 |
Statistical Note
The methodology for reporting disability status has been updated following a data extract error from HR systems, which led to under-reporting personnel with a declared disability. This resulted in an increase in the disability representation rate at 1 October 2023 by ~1.9% compared to 1 April 2023.
For more information on disability status by grade band, and disability status by age band please see the accompanying Excel ODS tables (Section 7).
Working Pattern
The proportion of MOD Main civilian personnel working part time was 10.2% at 1 April 2024. Since 1 April 2022, part-time proportions have been consistent with a range of 0.3 percentage points across the period (figure 8.1).
Figure 8.1 – Percentage of MOD Main civilian personnel by working pattern, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
Full-time: Civil servants are those working 37 hours a week, excluding breaks.
Part-time: Civil servants are those working fewer than 37 hours a week, excluding breaks.
At 1 April 2024, the two grade bands with the highest proportion of part-time personnel were AA to AO and G6 to G7 at 12.3% and 12.2% respectively, with SCS reporting the lowest proportion of part-time personnel at 4.5% (figure 8.2). From 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024, rates for all grade bands, except SCS, have remained constant or have seen a slight increase. For SCS, the rate has fallen between 1 October 2023 and 1 April 2024, however the time series for SCS must be interpreted with some caution as the comparatively smaller size of SCS population means rates are more volatile.
Figure 8.2 – Part time representation by grade band, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
At 1 April 2024, only 2.4% of MOD Main personnel aged 16 to 29 were recorded as working part time, compared to 18.7% of those aged 60 and over (figure 8.3). Age band 50 to 59 had a lower proportion of part-time personnel at 8.0% than both 30 to 39 (10.2%) and 40 to 49 (11.5%). The proportions of working patterns within age bands have remained consistent from 1 April 2023 to 1 April 2024.
Figure 8.3 – Working pattern by age band, 1 April 2023 to 1 April 2024
Glossary
MOD Main Civilian Personnel: Includes staff in MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Areas (TLBs), the major organisational groupings of the MOD directly responsible for the planning, management and delivery of departmental capability. These are Navy Command, Army TLB, HQ Air Command, Head Office, UK Strategic Command, Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Defence Nuclear Organisation.
Navy Command: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB) for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. As at 1 April 2010 Fleet TLB was renamed to Navy Command. Fleet TLB was formed on 1 April 2006 by the merger of the Commander-in-Chief Fleet and the Chief of Naval Personnel/ Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command.
Army TLB: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB) for the army (previously reported as Land Forces). Performs a similar role to Navy Command within the context of trained army formations and equipment.
HQ Air Command: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB) for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Incorporates the RAF’s Personnel and Training Command and Strike Command with a single fully integrated Headquarters, which equips the RAF to provide a coherent and coordinated single Air focus to the other Services, MOD Head Office, the Permanent Joint Headquarters and the rest of MOD.
Head Office: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB). (Previously listed as Head Office & Corporate Services) Established as at 1 April 2012. Lead areas of activity include acting as Head of Establishment for London HO Buildings and associated support requirements, the production of the Department’s Resource Accounts, Governance support for MOD Trading Funds and Senior Finance Office (SFO). SFO is responsible for ensuring that decisions are taken with due regard to affordability and value for money. For the purposes of this reporting, Head Office also includes Defence Business Services (DBS) and Ministry of Defence Police (MDP).
UK Strategic Command: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB). Established at 1 April 2012 to ensure that a range of military support functions covering medical services, training and education, intelligence and cyber are organised in an efficient and effective manner to support success on operations, supporting investment in joint capabilities, strengthening the links between operational theatres and top level decision making. As of October 2019 JFC changed their official title to UKStratcom.
Defence Infrastructure Organisation: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB). Established on 1 April 2011, DIO manages the military estate, including accommodation for Service personnel and their families, on behalf of the MOD. It replaced Defence Estates and includes TLB property and facilities management functions previously situated within other TLBs.
Defence Nuclear Organisation: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB). Established 1 April 2016. The MOD organisation that oversees all defence nuclear business, this includes investments for future nuclear submarines and for dismantling and disposal.
Further Information
Declaration Rates
The declaration rates for the diversity fields of ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion and belief, and disability status are calculated based on self-declaration. Each member of personnel can choose from the following options:
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One of the available diversity data fields (an active declaration)
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Prefer to self-describe (text field option to self-describe, an active declaration)
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Prefer not to say (no declaration)
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No response (no declaration)
Declaration Rate is the number of personnel who make an ‘active declaration’ as a proportion of the total personnel. To ensure meaningful representation rates for a diversity field, a minimum 60% declaration level is required. Prefer to self-describe is included within calculation for active declarations.
Representation Rates
Representation Rate is calculated from the number of personnel who select a particular active diversity option as a proportion of the total personnel within ‘active declaration’. An active declaration excludes unknown or undeclared records, such as ‘prefer not to say’. To ensure meaningful representation rates for a diversity field, a minimum 60% declaration level is required to allow calculation of representation rates.
For example, from 100 personnel, 80 personnel declare as either disabled or not disabled, and the remaining 20 select prefer not to say or no option selected; this produces a declaration rate of 80%. Of the 80 personnel who have actively declared their disability status, 8 declare as disabled, and 72 as not disabled; this produces a representation rate of 10% for disabled personnel. If representation was calculated across whole population including the 20 undeclared, representation rate would be calculated as 8% and understated.
Table 2 - Declaration rates, 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024
| April 22 | October 22 | April 23 | October 23 | April 24 | ppt change * | 12 Month Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | 86.2 | 84.8 | 84.3 | 82.5 | 81.5 | -4.7 | -2.8 |
| Sexual Orientation | 78.5 | 77.0 | 76.5 | 75.3 | 74.2 | -4.3 | -2.3 |
| Religion and Belief | 77.4 | 76.3 | 76.2 | 74.7 | 73.8 | -3.6 | -2.4 |
| Disability | 75.9 | 72.8 | 70.2 | 66.8 | 64.3 | -11.6 | -5.9 |
In the period 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2024 the proportion of active declarations has fallen (table 2). Personnel still retain the option to positively opt-out of providing details by selecting ‘Prefer not to say’.
* ppt change for 2022 – 2024
Rounding
Analysis Civilian have reviewed the rounding of figures within these tables. From 1 October 2023 onwards, for ease of analysis, values are presented as unrounded values.
Percentages and related change in percentage points across time periods are calculated from unrounded data and rounded to one decimal place.
Revisions
Occasionally errors can occur in statistical processes; procedures are constantly reviewed to minimise this risk. Should a significant error be found, the publication on the website will be updated and an errata slip published documenting the revision.
Protected Characteristics
All Protected Characteristics are analysed and reported on against the relevant minority grouping, defining minority on a numeric basis as the smaller or smallest of two or more groups forming a whole, rather than any broader cultural or sociological definition relating to characteristics of groups.
For reported Protected Characteristics, the following elements form the numeric minority:
| Sex - Female |
| Ethnicity - Ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) |
| Sexual orientation - LGB |
| Religion and belief - Religion and belief declared |
| Disability status - Disabled |
| Work pattern - Part-Time |
Further information relating to the Public Sector Equality Duty can be found at:
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