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O.B.E. (Officer of the British Empire)

The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions. In decreasing order of seniority, these are:

* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
* Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) or Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
* Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
* Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
* Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Only the highest two ranks admit an individual into knighthood or damehood automatically, an honour allowing the recipient to use the title "Sir" (male) or "Dame" (female) before his or her first name (though men can be knighted separately from the Orders of Chivalry). Honorary knighthoods, given to individuals who are not nationals of a realm where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Head of State, permit usage of the honour as a post-nominal but not as a title before their name. These recipients are classified as honorary members of the Order they receive, and do not contribute to the numbers restricted to that Order as full members do.

There is also a related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are not members of the Order, but who are nonetheless affiliated with the Order. The British Empire Medal has not been used in the United Kingdom or its dependencies since 1993, but is still used by the Cook Islands and by some other Commonwealth nations.

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