In response to a request by Secrecy News the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ONDI) publicly released its 2011 Report on Security Clearance Determinations.

The report, which had already been transmitted to Congress in early July, shows that the number of people who held security clearances for access to classified information increased to a new reported high of more than 4.8 million persons as of October 1, 2011. The requirement for the annual report to Congress was included in the FY2010 Intelligence Authorization Act.

Secrecy News reports that: “Last year’s annual report, the first official count of security cleared personnel, had indicated that there were over 4.2 million clearances in 2010. That number astonished observers because it surpassed previous estimates by more than a million.” This was largely due to an underreporting of the number of clearances, even so “the new report to Congress presents a revised figure 2010 figure of 4.7 million.”

Secrecy News explains, however, that the 2010 report “used a methodology that tallied access to classified information. The resulting figures are not directly comparable to figures presented this year. The new report focuses on eligibility for access which yields a higher number of clearances both for last year and this year.” The total figure comprises all those government employees and contractors, at all clearance levels.