Australia Sees Record Military Recruitment Surge Thanks to TikTok, Online Reach

Australia has recorded its highest level of armed forces recruitment in over a decade, with targeted ads on platforms like TikTok and online games credited for the boost, according to government figures.

Data shows that the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) permanent, full-time personnel now exceed 61,000 through the approach, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

This translates to an annual increase of nearly 1,900 personnel or a 17-percent jump, marking the strongest recruitment rate in 15 years.

Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh explained that the focused, modern recruitment strategy allows Canberra to reach young Australians where they are most active, particularly those aged 18 to 24, while also engaging critical influencers like parents and teachers.

“With outdoor advertising, television advertising – we’re now advertising around computer games for the first time. We’re using TikTok, which hadn’t been used before,” he said.

“We’ve got to make sure that we get that ADF careers presence out there and show that it’s not just the traditional roles people might think of. There are over 300 different types of roles – we want people to see the opportunity that a career in our Australian Defence Force offers.”

Almost 70,000 Warfighters by 2030

Canberra still faces persistent challenges in service retention despite the recent milestone. Last year, more than 75,000 people applied to join the Australian military, but fewer than 10 percent were ultimately enlisted, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

However, the government said it remains on track to reach its goal of 69,000 permanent ADF personnel by the early 2030s.

As part of this effort, enlistment was opened to foreigners in 2023, starting with New Zealanders and later expanding to Australian permanent residents of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance countries.

To date, three cadets from New Zealand have formally joined the ADF. Another 70 foreign candidates are in pre-enlistment stages, and 520 applications from Five Eyes nationals were being processed as of mid-July, most of which were from New Zealand, followed by the UK, US, and Canada.

Officials also credited the recent recruitment gains to broader eligibility criteria and ongoing cultural reforms tied to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.