UK Mountain Rescue: The Real Numbers Behind an All-Volunteer Network
The UK's mountain rescue network is staffed entirely by volunteers — and both England/Wales and Scotland publish detailed annual statistics specifically so they can be cited. Here's what those reports actually say.
Last updated: July 2026
England and Wales: the 2024 numbers
Mountain Rescue England and Wales' 2025 Annual Review reports 3,784 call-outs and 3,093 deployments in 2024, backed by 167,411 volunteer hours — all of it unpaid. Slips and trips were the leading identified cause at 23% of incidents, followed by missing-person searches at 16% and self-reported lost hikers at 8%. Most call-outs (72%) happen after noon. Despite the rugged terrain mountain rescue teams cover, only 7% of rescues used helicopter support — the large majority of mountain rescue in the UK is still done on foot, by volunteers who hike in to reach the person themselves.
Mountain Rescue England and Wales, 2024
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total call-outs | 3,784 |
| Deployments | 3,093 |
| Volunteer hours | 167,411 |
| Incidents caused by slips/trips | 23% |
| Incidents involving a missing-person search | 16% |
| Call-outs occurring after noon | 72% |
| Rescues using helicopter support | 7% |
Mountain Rescue England and Wales, 2025 Annual Review.
Where injuries actually happen
MREW's injury data shows the ankle is by far the most commonly injured body part among rescued hikers, with 338 recorded ankle injuries — well ahead of knee injuries (103), lower leg injuries (96), and head injuries (75). The busiest individual teams in 2024 were Llanberis (327 call-outs), Edale (162), and Buxton (94) — a reminder that mountain rescue demand concentrates heavily in a small number of popular, accessible areas rather than spreading evenly across the country.
Scotland's separate network
Scottish Mountain Rescue publishes its own statistics separately. In its most recent reporting year, Scottish teams recorded 798 incidents and 1,270 call-outs, logging 39,229 callout hours and more than 85,000 training hours across the year. Mountaineering-related incidents (491, 62%) outnumbered non-mountaineering incidents (307, 38%). The leading causes were slips and trips (152 incidents), medical emergencies (63), and people getting lost (60), with navigation errors (47) and simply being overdue (38) rounding out the top five. Among people involved in mountaineering incidents specifically, 29% sustained an injury, and of those injuries, 34% were fractures — with the ankle again the single most commonly injured joint.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many mountain rescue call-outs happen in the UK each year?
Mountain Rescue England and Wales logged 3,784 call-outs in 2024 alone, backed by 167,411 volunteer hours. Scottish Mountain Rescue separately recorded 1,270 call-outs in its most recent reporting year.
What's the most common cause of UK mountain rescue call-outs?
Slips and trips lead in both England/Wales (23% of incidents) and Scotland (152 of 798 incidents, the top single cause), ahead of missing-person searches and medical emergencies.
Is UK mountain rescue done by helicopter?
Rarely. Only 7% of England and Wales rescues in 2024 used helicopter support — the large majority of UK mountain rescue is still carried out on foot by volunteer teams.
What's the most common injury in UK mountain rescue incidents?
Ankle injuries, by a wide margin — 338 recorded cases in England and Wales in 2024, and the most common joint injury in Scotland's data as well, where 34% of all injuries among mountaineering-incident casualties were fractures.
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