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Honoria
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Birthday Honours List2026

Celebrating exceptional achievements and distinguished service across the United Kingdom and overseas territories.

1,118
Recipients
Honouring excellence in public service, arts, science and community leadership.

Featured Honourees

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In focus

Stories from this list

Analysis

Seven in ten honours went to community recognition

Of 1,182 recipients, 807 — about 68% — were MBEs and British Empire Medals: the community-level awards that recognise the volunteers, carers and coaches at the heart of local life.

Themes

What Britain chose to honour

Taken together, the citations name education as the cause Britain honoured most this year, ahead of health and community service. Science is strongly represented at the top end — cosmologist Sir Carlos Frenk, dementia researcher Dame Carol Brayne and engineer Dame Hayaatun Sillem.

Community

The 306 local heroes

The British Empire Medal is the most local honour there is, and 306 were awarded this year — to Dean Allen in Telford, Alison Brittle in Saddleworth, Campbell Best in Portadown, and hundreds more like them. For most, that short citation is the only public record of a lifetime of quiet service.

Community

Twelve foster carers, honoured

A quiet cluster of fifteen foster carers were recognised this year — and Birmingham Children's Trust appears three times across the foster-care awards.

In this list

Notable recipients

The names you know in this list.

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons.

Analysis


By the numbers

The headline


By the numbers

1,118

Total awards

44

Knights & Dames

101

CBE

277

OBE

By rank

  • Knights & Dames44
  • CBE101
  • OBE277
  • MBE592
  • BEM40
  • Other honours64

Top counties (where recorded)

Greater London 170Surrey 31Kent 26Hampshire 25County Down 24Essex 21East Sussex 20Hertfordshire 18North Yorkshire 17Lancashire 17West Sussex 16

From the citations


The angles

Education led the round with 115 recipients (10.3% of those whose citation is tagged).

  • Education115 · 10.3%
  • Community & Voluntary Service102 · 9.1%
  • Business & Economy87 · 7.8%
  • Children, Young People & Families80 · 7.2%
  • Health & Social Care75 · 6.7%
  • Government & Public Service63 · 5.6%
  • Arts & Culture56 · 5%
  • Science, Engineering & Technology45 · 4%

Most-honoured town: London (170).

Year on year


Oddities & trends

Versus the Birthday Honours List 2025

Total 418Knights & Dames 3CBE 7OBE 17MBE 15BEM 322Other honours 60

Sources

Counts derived by Honoria from public records (The Gazette). Sector tags are Honoria's; percentages are of recipients whose citation is tagged.

The recipients


Explore all 1,118 recipients

Award
Theme

1,118 recipients

A55
B145
C79
D48
E25
F34
G46
H87
I5
J32
K38
L44
M113
N14
O15
P60
Q2
R73
S88
T38
U3
V6
W63
Y4
Z1

Where recipients are from

Full map

Themes

The themes most cited across the Birthday Honours List 2026.

Education — 115Community & Voluntary Service — 102Children, Young People & Families — 80Health & Social Care — 75Business & Economy — 87Government & Public Service — 63Arts & Culture — 56Science, Engineering & Technology — 45Defence & Armed Forces — 40Equality, Diversity & Inclusion — 35Sport & Recreation — 33Environment & Agriculture — 26Policing & Emergency Services — 12International & Diplomatic — 5Faith & Belief — 367Education — 67Further Education — 15Higher Education — 8Early Years Education — 7Apprenticeships — 3Holocaust Education — 2Special Educational Needs — 2to Education — 2Music Education — 1Medical Education — 1Dental Education — 1Academia — 1STEM Education — 1Health Education — 1Physical Education — 1Mathematics Education — 1Financial Education — 157community — 57Charitable service — 11Voluntary service — 5Community Cohesion — 4Charitable Fundraising — 3Jewish Community — 3Voluntary Sector — 3Charitable Causes — 3Fundraising — 2Community Development — 2Deaf Community — 2communities — 1Voluntary — 1Charitable Sector — 1voluntary service to the community — 1Community Sport — 1LGBTQ+ Community — 1Armed Forces Community — 130Young People — 30Foster Care — 15Children — 10Early Years Education — 7Families — 6their Families — 5Vulnerable Children — 4Early Years — 2Children with Disabilities — 2Disadvantaged Young People — 1Children's Social Care — 1Vulnerable Young People — 1to Young People — 1Safeguarding — 1Foster Care — 15NHS — 9Nursing — 7Health — 6Social Care — 5Healthcare — 4Mental Health — 3Public Health — 3Medical Research — 2Cancer Research — 2St John Ambulance — 2Medicine — 1Wellbeing — 1Cancer Patients — 1Dentistry — 1Adult Social Care — 1Medical Education — 1Carers — 1Children's Social Care — 1Patient Care — 1Women's Health — 117Business — 17Entrepreneurship — 5Manufacturing — 5Creative Industries — 4Economy — 3Trade — 3Nuclear Industry — 3to Business — 3International Trade — 2Tourism — 2Economic Development — 2Construction Industry — 2Finance — 2Economic Growth — 2Retail Industry — 2Social Enterprise — 1Economics — 1Enterprise — 1Music Industry — 1Rural Economy — 147Public service — 47Local Government — 5Parliament — 4Political service — 2Scottish Parliament — 2Policy — 1Government Procurement — 1Music — 11Heritage — 9Broadcasting — 5Arts — 4Culture — 4Literature — 4Film — 4Drama — 2Theatre — 2Fashion — 2Design — 2Museums — 2Dance — 1Music Industry — 1Music Education — 1Performing Arts — 1Heritage Crafts — 1Crafts — 1Innovation — 8Science — 7Engineering — 4Technology — 4Research — 3Medical Research — 2Cancer Research — 2Social Science — 1Chemistry — 1Technology Sector — 1Climate Science — 1Digital Inclusion — 1Physics — 1Marine Science — 1Healthcare Science — 1Technology Industry — 1Digital Innovation — 1Physical Education — 1Mathematics Education — 1Biomedical Research — 126Defence — 26Veterans — 5Royal Navy — 2Military History — 2Armed Forces Community — 1Armed Forces Veterans — 1Flood Defence — 1Women — 8Diversity — 7Inclusion — 7Disabled People — 4Children with Disabilities — 2People with Disabilities — 1Disabilities — 1Women's Health — 1LGBTQ+ Community — 1Social Inclusion — 1Digital Inclusion — 1Race Equality — 1Racial Equality — 1Association Football — 8Sport — 7Rugby Union — 4Rugby League — 3Cricket — 2Football — 1Swimming — 1Tennis — 1Golf — 1Community Sport — 1Rugby League Football — 1to Sport — 1Grassroots Football — 1Environment — 7Conservation — 4Horticulture — 4Agriculture — 3Farming — 2Forestry — 1Sustainability — 1Wildlife Conservation — 1Climate Science — 1Environmental Management — 1Sustainable Design — 1Policing — 7Prisoners — 2Probation — 1Prisons — 1Prisoner Rehabilitation — 1International Trade — 2International Development — 1International Relations — 1Jewish Community — 3Interfaith Relations — 1EducationCommunity & Voluntary ServiceChildren, Young People & FamiliesHealth & Social CareBusiness & EconomyGovernment & Public …Arts & CultureScience, Engineering…Defence & Armed ForcesEquality, Diversity …Sport & RecreationEnvironment & Agricu…Policing & Emergency…International & Dipl…Faith & Belief
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Most numerous themes

The themes most often cited in the Birthday Honours List 2026.