The British Army is rejecting more than 200 applicants every day – despite failing to hit recruitment targets every year since 2010.
Almost 74,000 applicants were rejected by the army in 2024-25, up 20,000 on the previous year.
More than 32,000 were rejected on medical grounds, for conditions including psoriasis, diabetes or a serious food allergy, while 360 were rejected for having tattoos or piercings.
Meanwhile, 22,000 were rejected from Commonwealth countries due to a rule limiting foreign recruits to 1,350 per year.
The figure for annual recruitment targets is estimated to be around 11,000, the number needed to replace troops leaving the armed forces.
The shortage comes
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