king’s Honours System
king’s Honours Statistics – The Definitive Guide
How many people win awards each year? How likely am I to win? Which Honour is most awarded? Are OBEs awarded more than MBEs? We’ll try and answer these commonly asked questions on the statistics and data of the King’s Honours system – and more.
Here at Bayleaf Honours, we don’t like to do guesswork. We only use facts, whether that is in preparing your nomination or in publishing statistics. Unless otherwise stated, all the statistics and data stated below are for the period 2015-2019 and are taken from the Government Report on the Operation of the Honours System for that period (the 4th such report.)
How Many Honours Are Awarded Each Year?
Between 2015 and 2019, just under 10 thousand honours were granted (9,929 to be exact). That is five years or ten Honours Lists (King’s Birthday and New Year) so around 1000 honours per list or 2000 per year.
How Many Of Each Type Of Honour Are Awarded Typically?
It varies a little bit – there are no quotas, but the thresholds and criteria for each Honour are such that the numbers are pretty consistent every year.
In each Honours list of approximately 1000 people (remember, two lists per year), there are
270 British Empire Medals (27%)
400 MBEs (40%)
200 OBEs (20%)
90 CBEs (9%)
40 Knight/Dame-hoods or above (4%)