Permanent and reserve ADF members
The majority of permanent ADF members were aged under 40 years (74%) with a median age of 31. Females were slightly younger than males with a median age of 29 compared with 31 respectively.
Overall, as age increases, the number of permanent ADF members decreases, with the largest proportion aged under 25 (24%) and around 9% aged 50 years and over.
Reserve members are generally older than permanent members with a median age of 37 years and are spread more evenly across the age groups. One in ten (10%) were aged under 25, while 25% were aged 50 years and over.
Figure 1: Permanent and reserve members(a) by age group, as of 31 December 2019
(a) The number of persons who were permanent or reserve include persons who have identified as intersex.
Source: Defence population snapshots, 2002–2019.