Enlistment statistics, First World War

Please note that discrepancies can occur between figures drawn from various sources. This can occur because figures collected at various times by various bodies utilise different sources and/or apply different criteria.

On this page

Total enlistments
Enlistments by force or service
Enlistments by year
Enlistments by state
Total embarkations
At end of war
VC recipients by state of enlistment

Total enlistments

Australian population 1914–1918: approximately 4.9 million¹

416,809 Australians enlisted for service in the First World War, representing 38.7% of the male population aged 18 to 44.²

Sources:
¹ Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, Official yearbook of the Commonwealth of Australia, no. 12, 1919, Albert J. Mullett, Melbourne, 1919

² E. Scott, Australia during the war, the official history of Australia in the war of 1914–1918, vol XI (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1941, p. 874).

Enlistments by force or service

Note: enlistment figures for each force or service do not represent individuals, as multiple enlistments were not uncommon.

Australian Imperial Force (AIF): 412,953¹
(includes Air Force)

Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF): 3,651¹
(infantry only, including Tropical Force)

Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS): 2,861¹

Royal Australian Navy (RAN): approximately 1,275²
(The RAN existed as a permanent force prior to the First World War with approximately 4,000 members. The above figure is in addition to those already serving.)

Sources:
¹ A.G. Butler, Special problems and services: the official history of the Australian Army Medical Services in the war of 1914–1918, vol. III (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1943, pp. 882, 890).

² A.W. Jose, The Royal Australian Navy, the official history of Australia in the War of 1914–1918, vol IX (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1937, p. 475).

Enlistments by year

Year	Number enlisted
1914	52,561
1915	165,912
1916	124,352
1917	45,101
1918	28,883
TOTAL	416,809

Source:
A.G. Butler, Special problems and services: the official history of the Australian Army Medical Services in the war of 1914–1918, vol. III (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1943, p. 889).

Enlistments by state

State	Number enlisted
Queensland	57,705
New South Wales	164,030
Victoria	112,399
South Australia	34,959
Western Australia	32,231
Tasmania	15,485
TOTAL	416,809

Source:
E. Scott, Australia during the war, the official history of Australia in the war of 1914–1918, vol XI (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1941, p. 874).

Total embarkations

Australian Imperial Force (including Air Force): 331,781

Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force: 3,011

Australian Army Nursing Service: 2,139 (not including 129 volunteers for Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service)

Source:
A.G. Butler, Special problems and services: the official history of the Australian Army Medical Services in the war of 1914–1918, vol. III (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1943, p. 882).

At end of war

Outcome	Number affected1
Died before discharge from the AIF	60,284
Wounded in action (including gassing and shell shock)	155,133
Prisoners of war	4,044
Suffered from sickness or non-battle injuries	431,448

Note: the numbers given for wounded, sick and injured represent the number of “woundings” or of sickness and injury, not the number of wounded, sick, or injured men. It was common for men to be wounded or sick on several occasions.

The Roll of Honour records the number of Australian deaths during the First World War as 61,514.² This includes deaths until the formal disbandment of the AIF on 31 March 1921. During the period 4 August 1914 to 11 November 1918, there were 59,357 deaths.² On average, 38 members of the Australian armed forces died per day during the 1,560 days of the war.

At 64.8%, the Australian casualty rate (proportionate to total embarkations) was among the highest of the war.³