BharatNotes As on 1 January 2025, the IAS has 1,300 vacancies against a sanctioned strength of 6,877 — an 18.9% shortfall. The most stretched cadres in absolute terms are AGMUT (136 short), UP (81), MP (68), West Bengal (~68) and Tamil Nadu (~66). The IFoS is structurally worse at 32.2% vacancy. Projections show that 2026-2030 will see ~600 more retirements per year than fresh inductions in the IAS, keeping vacancies above 1,000 unless intake is raised.
The headline numbers (as on 1 January 2025)
Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for DoPT, tabled the All India Services vacancy report in the Rajya Sabha on 12 February 2026. The verified picture:
| Service | Sanctioned | In Position | Vacancy | % Short |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IAS | 6,877 | 5,577 | 1,300 | 18.9% |
| IPS | 5,099 | 4,594 | 505 | 9.9% |
| IFoS | 3,193 | 2,164 | 1,029 | 32.2% |
| Total AIS | 15,169 | 12,335 | 2,834 | 18.7% |
The IFoS shortfall is the worst — nearly one in three forester posts is unfilled. The IAS is at almost 1 in 5.
The most stretched IAS cadres (absolute vacancy)
| Rank | Cadre | Sanctioned | In Position | Vacancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AGMUT | 542 | 406 | 136 |
| 2 | Uttar Pradesh | 652 | 571 | 81 |
| 3 | Madhya Pradesh | 459 | 391 | 68 |
| 4 | West Bengal | ~378 | ~310 | ~68 |
| 5 | Tamil Nadu | ~376 | ~310 | ~66 |
| 6 | Bihar | ~342 | ~280 | ~62 |
| 7 | Maharashtra | ~395 | ~340 | ~55 |
| 8 | Assam-Meghalaya | ~262 | ~210 | ~52 |
Big three (AGMUT, UP, MP) are verified to the unit; remainder reported to nearest five from the DoPT Civil List 2025.
Why AGMUT tops the stretched list
AGMUT carries the burden of 11 jurisdictions — Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, Delhi, Puducherry, Chandigarh, A&N, Lakshadweep, DNH-DD, J&K (merged 2021), and Ladakh (UT since 2019). The 2019 reorganisation of J&K and 2020 merger of DNH-DD added jurisdictional load without a proportional strength upgrade. The cadre is 136 officers short — equivalent to losing the entire IAS strength of Tripura twice over.
Why UP and MP rank high
UP at 652 sanctioned is simply the largest cadre — even a modest percentage shortfall is a large absolute number. MP's 459 includes coverage for Chhattisgarh's joint legacy posts and an ageing 1995-2002 batch wave nearing retirement.
The 2026-2030 outlook
DoPT's internal cadre-review cycle (every five years under IAS Cadre Rules 1954) projects:
- Annual retirements 2026-30: ~290-310 IAS officers per year (1990-1996 batches reaching 60).
- Annual fresh intake via CSE: 180 IAS officers (broadly steady at 180 since CSE 2014).
- Annual SCS promotions to IAS: ~80-90 (constrained by 33% promotion-quota cap).
- Net annual deficit: ~30-40 officers per year, compounding existing 1,300 vacancy.
By 2030, IAS vacancy will exceed 1,400 unless CSE intake is hiked. Baswan Committee (2016) had recommended raising IAS intake to 180 (already implemented); a second hike to 220 has been under discussion since 2024.
Cadres likely to see worst stretch by 2030
Based on the age-profile of in-position officers (DoPT Civil List 2025):
- AGMUT: Stretched today, will get worse — J&K and Ladakh need fresh officers; retirements in the 1992-1997 segment are heavy.
- West Bengal: Long-running insider-outsider tension; many WB-domicile officers seek inter-cadre exits; replacements lag.
- Bihar: ~62 short today, with the 1991-1995 batches retiring through 2027-2030.
- NE small cadres (Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura): Small in absolute terms but proportionally vulnerable — losing 5-10 officers per cadre over 5 years is structurally serious for them.
- IFoS across all cadres: The 32% vacancy is dire for forest administration during a climate-stress decade.
What surplus and deficit mean for allocation
DoPT's 2026 OM retains the legacy directive to redistribute officers from 'surplus states' to 'deficit states' as one of the three allocation objectives (alongside national integration and vacancy rationalisation). In practice, this means stretched cadres get a slightly higher proportion of outsider allottees in any given year — UP, AGMUT and MP routinely absorb 15-25 fresh IAS officers per batch.
Mentor's note
If you are filling DAF-II in CSE 2026, recognise that the most stretched cadres are also the most likely cadres to absorb you as an outsider — UP, AGMUT, MP and WB are statistically your highest-probability destinations under the group-rotation roster. Plan your top 10 accordingly. The cadre stretched in 2026 will likely be more stretched in 2030 — your career will begin under shortage conditions, with heavier workloads and faster promotion ladders than the previous decade.
