Magistrates' court open cases: record highs and lows
The extremes of magistrates' court open cases as published by Ministry of Justice, across the 29 periods held here (2019 Q1 to 2026 Q1). Each record is a published figure, not a computed one, and the scope is this series — not “ever”.
The latest figure, 370,722 in 2026 Q1, is the highest in the whole published series of 29 periods. The rule: a period counts as beaten only when its figure is strictly below the latest, and the claim is only made when it reaches back at least five years.
Highest published
370,7222026 Q1
Lowest published
214,9072019 Q3
The full series
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value
A record is the extreme of the periods this site holds for the current series, at each period’s newest published release. Earlier series measured under different methods are not compared against it. Money is in cash terms: a record set years ago stands against the money of its own year.