July saw the release of the Diversity of the Judiciary Statistics. This annual publication details the number and demographics of magistrates in-post, those leaving, and those who have progressed through the application process to be appointed. This year, the data shows an increase in the number of magistrates recruited, which we welcomed in our press release at the time, but it also shows that more people are leaving the magistracy and therefore reinforces the MA’s position that more needs to be done on magistrates’ recognition and retention.
This blog is a slightly more detailed look at those figures. We know that the magistracy is growing – it’s the theme of our online conference this year – but how is it changing, and by how much? Who’s joining? And who isn’t?
New magistrate numbers are up
There were 1,663 new appointments made this year (1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026), a little under double the 898 appointments made last year. These new appointments came from 10,390 applications, which is over double the previous year’s 4,717 applications. The appointment rate for completed applications has fallen (from 20 per cent to 19), which would indicate that quality of applicants is not being compromised to reach intake targets.
But so are leavers (but not by as much)
Of the 988 people who left the magistracy this year – up 20 per cent on the previous year – only 311 (31 per cent) were aged 70 or over (i.e., at or approaching mandatory retirement). This means 69 per cent of magistrates are leaving well before they are required to by age, with the single largest age bracket for leavers being those aged 60-69 with 312 leavers.
Taken together, and despite an effective doubling in recruitment intake, the net increase to the magistracy is only 623. Whilst it is positive the number of magistrates has grown, at this rate it will take a further 9.2 years to achieve the target of 21,000 magistrates in-post.
The demographic composition of magistrates in-post is essentially unchanged:
What else we discovered from the data
As in previous years, magistrate recruitment data is much richer than the data for magistrates who are already in-post, being divided by both more demographic indicators and stage of the application process (application, shortlisting, appointment).
49 per cent of applicants this year were female, down from 51 last year, and females represent 55 per cent of appointments. This is down slightly on last year (58 per cent), but shows a pattern continuing where women are slightly more likely to be appointed than men.
Non-white applicants more successful than previous years
25 per cent of applicants were Black, Asian, Mixed or Other, essentially the same as last year (26 per cent), but with a much higher success rate – 18 per cent of appointments were from these groups, up from 13 per cent last year. The issue of Black candidates not being shortlisted has not disappeared, but the severity has reduced. Black candidates represent 8 per cent of applicants, 4 per cent of those shortlisted, and 5 per cent of those appointed this year, compared to 8 per cent applicants, 1 per cent shortlisted and 1 per cent of appointments made in 2025.
Applicants are getting slightly older
Most applicants (60 per cent) and appointments (64 per cent) are aged 50+. Under 40s represent proportionally less applicants and appointments than the previous year: 19 per cent of applicants were under 40, falling to 17 per cent of appointments, down from 23 per cent and 19 per cent respectively last year. The largest single applicant age bracket is 60 and over (31 per cent), and the largest single appointment age bracket is 50-59 (35 per cent).
Occupational background is challenging to usefully group, with 42 per cent of applications from ‘modern and traditional professional occupations’, and a further 39 per cent from ‘senior, middle or junior managers/administrators’ and 4 per cent from ‘clerical and intermediate’. If we take them – in sum – to represent ‘white collar’ employment, at least 85 per cent of applicants and 91 per cent of appointments are from this group. I say at least because 10 per cent of applicant and 6 per cent of appointments were from ‘other’.
Three quarters of applicants were state educated, rising to 77 per cent of appointments. The proportion of both applicants and appointments who attended university are rising, up to 70 and 77 from 62 and 72 respectively last year.
13 per cent of applicants and 10 per cent of appointments declared a disability, which is fairly consistent with last year’s figures of 12 and 11 per cent respectively. This remains a sizeable group within the magistracy and reaffirms the importance of accessible courts and appropriate accommodations.
So the magistracy has grown, albeit not by as much as we would have liked. Retention as well as effective recruitment will therefore be key to meeting current targets.
The magistracy remains largely 50+ and white, although with substantial regional variations on ethnicity according to local populations. Those entering the magistracy – about whom we have more data – continue this trend. They’re also overwhelmingly white collar and university educated. That said, the magistracy remains the most diverse element of the judiciary, drawn directly from and representing the communities it serves.
