- Includes Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Second Australian Imperial Force, National Service and NORFORCE. Excludes service for non-Australian Defence forces.
- Count of persons aged 15 years and over. Excludes overseas visitors.
- Includes previous service in the regular service and/or reserves service.
Service with the Australian Defence Force: Census
Latest release
Information on service with the Australian Defence Force
Reference period
2021
Released
28/06/2022
First release
Key statistics
- More than half a million Australians (581,139) have served, or are currently serving, in the ADF.
- There are 84,865 current serving members and 496,276 former serving members.
- One in twenty (5.3 per cent) of Australian households reported at least one person who had served or is serving in the ADF.
- 3,159 (3.7 per cent) of currently serving Australian Defence Force members, and 11,610 (2.3 per cent) of previously served, identify as having Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin.
| Currently serving in the regular service | Currently serving in the reserves service | Previously served and not currently serving(c) | Total ever served(d) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 18,007 | 6,506 | 127,657 | 152,170 |
| Victoria | 6,866 | 3,973 | 94,393 | 105,234 |
| Queensland | 16,803 | 6,339 | 139,973 | 163,112 |
| South Australia | 3,940 | 2,053 | 41,861 | 47,852 |
| Western Australia | 4,496 | 2,413 | 55,507 | 62,417 |
| Tasmania | 290 | 670 | 17,515 | 18,473 |
| Northern Territory | 3,874 | 547 | 5,110 | 9,534 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 5,977 | 2,084 | 14,164 | 22,220 |
| Australia(e) | 60,286 | 24,581 | 496,276 | 581,139 |
Note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.
- Includes Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Second Australian Imperial Force, National Service and NORFORCE. Excludes service for non-Australian Defence forces.
- Count of persons aged 15 years and over. Based on place of usual residence. Excludes overseas visitors.
- Includes previous service in the regular service and/or reserves service.
- Includes currently serving in the regular service, currently serving in the reserves service and previously served in the Australian Defence Force.
- Total includes Other Territories.
Source: Australian Defence Force service (ADFP)
Census data stories and concepts
Articles and information papers that related to this topic include:
How Census data is used
Learn how Census data helps community groups, businesses and governments make important decisions.
Census data will lead to improved service delivery to veterans and their families
Key questions in 2021 Census
- Has the person ever served in the Australian Defence Force?
The questions from the 2021 Census are output into variables. To see descriptions of the variables, including data use considerations, relevant to this topic see the 2021 Census dictionary: Service with the Australian Defence Force.
Data downloads
Data table for Service with the Australian Defence Force data summary
Data files
Data table for Census article - Australian Defence Force service
Data files
Post release changes
13/10/2022 - Australia Defence Force service article updated to include data using second release variables.
12/10/2022 - Service with the Australian Defence Force data summary download file updated to include second release data tables.
11/08/2022 - Census article - Australian Defence Force service
Other characteristics of ADF members: Cell in graph for Household weekly income of people aged 15-64 years, by whether served in the ADF, 2021 corrected (Currently serving (Regular and Reserves) at $400-$499).