For Immediate Release
October 24, 2025
Contact: Communications Director Nikki Gamer | Cell #: (978) 884-0003 | gamer@afsa.org

Washington, D.C. – As the nonpartisan voice of the U.S. Foreign Service, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) is committed to defending the integrity of the institution and its workforce. When official government sources disseminate inaccurate or misleading information, it is our duty to respond with clarity and facts.

On October 22, the U.S. Department of State published a social media post stating, "More Americans want to join the State Department as diplomats today than at any point in the last decade," and included a graphic comparing Foreign Service applicant numbers across administrations. The post implies that the current administration has generated a record level of interest, citing 5,751 applicants compared to 1,517 under the previous administration.

This claim is not supported by official data.

According to State Department data analyzed by The Foreign Service Journal, 6,514 individuals applied to join the Foreign Service in 2021—the first year of the previous administration, a figure notably higher than the 5,751 cited for the current period.

Furthermore, the 2021 edition of “Career Diplomacy: Life and Work in the U.S. Foreign Service,” notes that an average of 18,400 people took the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) annually during the Obama administration's two terms. That number dropped by more than half during the subsequent administration, averaging 8,700 per year when a lengthier application process was introduced — still higher than the 2025 number cited by the department. While these figures track test-takers rather than completed applications, they provide important context on interest levels over time.

Of additional concern is the implication that the claimed increase in testing activity is due in some way to additional efforts made on the part of the department. The evidence does not bear this out. Not only were all recruiting efforts by the department halted in January, but virtually all recruitment staff were subject to the department’s July 11 reductions in force (RIFs).

AFSA has a long history of championing careers in the Foreign Service. However, touting inaccurate recruiting numbers is tremendously insensitive to the more than 200 State Department Foreign Service members who were laid off in July, and the more than 2,000 U.S. Agency for International Development members of the Foreign Service who lost their jobs earlier this year.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of federal employees — including Foreign Service members serving without pay, some alongside military colleagues in conflict zones — are being adversely affected by the ongoing government shutdown.

These circumstances demand sober, accurate communications from official sources.

AFSA remains committed to ensuring the Foreign Service is represented truthfully, and we will continue to provide data-driven context to defend the integrity of the Foreign Service.

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) is the professional association and labor union of the men and women of the United States Foreign Service.