Another record-breaking year as more than 342,000 young people start their DofE in 2024-25
More than 342,000 young people across the UK started their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award journey last year, as the DofE’s work to widen access and remove barriers to participation continues.
Participants gave a staggering 5.2 million hours of volunteering as part of their DofE activities, making a difference in communities across the UK – the highest in the DofE’s history, and a huge jump of 10.6% on 2023-24, with an estimated value of £33 million.
The 2024-2025 Annual statistics, published today, show that, overall, a record 572,802 young people were working towards a DofE Award in 2024-25 – the highest in the charity’s almost 70-year history.
The number of young people starting Award programmes is up by 3.5% on the previous year – suggesting an increasing appetite among young people for developing new skills, having ‘in real life’ experiences and helping others in their communities.
As the DofE charity enters the final year of its five-year strategy, the statistics reflect the impact of its ambitious work to give more young people access to life-changing development opportunities.
With the help of volunteers, supporters, funders and partners, the DofE has reviewed and updated its programme to make it more flexible and accessible, launched targeted funding to dismantle financial barriers to participation, and partnered with hundreds more schools in deprived areas, community organisations, colleges, centres for young people with disabilities and additional needs, and prisons and young offender institutions.
Last year, the number of organisations licensed to run the DofE rose by 3.9% to 4,950 – with 108 new secondary schools, 93 centres supporting young people with additional needs, 85 community organisations, 21 further education colleges, and 16 new prisons and other secure settings starting to deliver DofE programmes.
The annual statistics show that:
- 30.8% of 14 year olds across the UK started their Bronze DofE. Overall, 8.5% of 14-18 year olds across the UK started a DofE programme in 2024-25
- The total number of Awards achieved increased by 7% to 166,592
- The number of young people starting their Gold DofE jumped by 7.5% – the highest percentage increase in participation of the three DofE levels
- The proportion of young people starting a DofE programme who have additional needs now stands at 8.2%, rising from 4.8% in 2021-22
- 38,744 amazing Leaders and other volunteers supported young people on their DofE journeys, inspiring and motivating them in organisations all over the UK
- The DofE distributed more than £1.4 million in grant funding to support organisations and young people facing financial barriers to participation.
Ruth Marvel OBE, CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said:
“Once again, we’re seeing more young people than ever taking up the opportunity to do their DofE and achieving incredible things – including giving a staggering 5 million hours of volunteering in communities all over the UK.
“These stats show an increasing appetite for opportunities like these among young people – a chance to connect with others, step away from screens, broaden horizons and gain essential life skills that you can’t learn from a textbook. We are incredibly grateful to our partners and the thousands of adult volunteers who give their time to support young people through their Awards – without their amazing efforts, none of this would be possible.
“As we enter the final year of our strategy, we’ll continue to focus on bringing the DofE to more young people, removing barriers to participation, and working with the Government on its recently announced enrichment framework for schools, so that no young person misses out on these life-changing opportunities.”
