Indicator	Value
Military expenditure (% GDP)	2.28 %SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Military expenditure	81,800,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Armed forces personnel	153,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI [2020]
Arms imports	643,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Arms exports	756,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Military & security forces	United Kingdom Armed Forces (aka British Armed Forces, aka His Majesty's Armed Forces): British Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force (2025)CIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive
Military service age & obligation	16 years of age for enlisted ranks (with parental consent for under 18) and 18 years of age for officers; maximum age varies by military service; conscription abolished in 1963 (2026); note: note 1: women serve in all branches and made up nearly 12% of the military's full-time personnel in 2025note 2: the British military allows Commonwealth nationals who are current UK residents and have been in the country for at least 5 years to apply; it also accepts Irish citizensnote 3: the British Army has continued the historic practice of recruiting Gurkhas from Nepal to serve in the Brigade of Gurkhas; the British began to recruit Nepalese citizens (Gurkhas) into the East India Company Army during the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816); the Gurkhas subsequently were brought into the British Indian Army and by 1914, there were 10 Gurkha regiments, collectively known as the Gurkha Brigade; following the partition of India in 1947, an agreement between Nepal, India, and Great Britain allowed for the transfer of the 10 regiments from the British Indian Army to the separate British and Indian armies; four of the regiments were transferred to the British Army, where they have since served continuously as the Brigade of GurkhasCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive
Arms imports (USD)	643,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Arms exports (USD)	756,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Military spending (% of GDP)	2.28 %SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Military spending (USD)	81,800,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]