Court of Protection Statistics UK

The Court of Protection made 56,832 orders under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 during 2025, up from 50,418 in 2024, according to the Ministry of Justice (Family Court Statistics Quarterly, Oct to Dec 2025, gov.uk).

The Court of Protection is the court in England and Wales that makes decisions about the finances, property, health and welfare of people who lack the mental capacity to decide for themselves (gov.uk, Court of Protection, as at July 2026). Its caseload is published by the Ministry of Justice within the Family Court Statistics Quarterly. Every figure below is drawn from those named official statistics at its stated reference period.

How large is the Court of Protection caseload?

The clearest measure is the number of orders the court makes. During 2025 the Court of Protection made 56,832 orders under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in England and Wales, the highest annual total in the current series, compared with 50,418 orders in 2024 (Family Court Statistics Quarterly, Oct to Dec 2025, gov.uk).

An application asks the court to decide something; an order is the decision it makes. Because a single application can lead to several orders, and because the court issues interim and final orders, order volumes usually run well ahead of application volumes. The categories were revised when the courts moved to a new data system in July 2024, so the Ministry of Justice advises against comparing figures before the third quarter of 2024 with those after it (Family Court Statistics Quarterly, Oct to Dec 2024, gov.uk).

The headline numbers

Key figures at a glance

The most cited annual figure is 56,832 orders made under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in 2025, up from 50,418 in 2024 (Family Court Statistics Quarterly, Oct to Dec 2025, gov.uk). The table below sets each statistic beside its source and reference period.

Statistic	Figure	Reference period & source
MCA orders made by the Court of Protection (England & Wales)	56,832	Full year 2025. Family Court Statistics Quarterly, Oct to Dec 2025, gov.uk
MCA orders made the previous year	50,418	Full year 2024. Family Court Statistics Quarterly, Oct to Dec 2024, gov.uk
MCA applications made in the latest quarter	10,554	Oct to Dec 2025, up 12% year on year. Family Court Statistics Quarterly, gov.uk
MCA orders made in the latest quarter	13,481	Oct to Dec 2025, up 20% year on year. Family Court Statistics Quarterly, gov.uk
Orders relating to deprivation of liberty in the year	22,873	Full year 2025, about 40% of all MCA orders. Family Court Statistics Quarterly, gov.uk
Applications relating to deprivation of liberty in the year	8,770	Full year 2025. Family Court Statistics Quarterly, gov.uk

All figures reproduced from the named Ministry of Justice statistics at their stated reference periods. Official statistics may be revised. The Ministry of Justice advises against comparing figures before Q3 2024 with those after, because of a change of data system.

The Court of Protection caseload through 2025

Across the four quarters of 2025 the Court of Protection made between 12,257 and 15,087 orders each quarter, and received between 9,149 and 11,317 applications, according to the four quarterly bulletins (Family Court Statistics Quarterly, gov.uk). Both applications and orders in the latest quarter were higher than the same quarter a year earlier.

Quarter (2025)	Applications made	Orders made
Jan to Mar	9,149	12,257
Apr to Jun	9,605	15,087
Jul to Sep	11,317	14,228
Oct to Dec	10,554	13,481

Sources: Jan to Mar 2025; Apr to Jun 2025; Jul to Sep 2025; Oct to Dec 2025 (all Family Court Statistics Quarterly, gov.uk). Each figure is as published in its own bulletin; quarterly figures are revised across publications and may not sum exactly to the annual total of 56,832 orders.

Order volumes now run above 13,000 in most quarters, comfortably ahead of application volumes, because one application can produce several orders as a case moves through the court.

Deprivation of liberty is now the largest share

Deprivation of liberty work has become the single biggest part of the Court of Protection's output. During 2025 there were 8,770 applications and 22,873 orders relating to deprivation of liberty under the Mental Capacity Act, and those orders were about 40% of all MCA orders made that year (Family Court Statistics Quarterly, Oct to Dec 2025, gov.uk).

The trend is upward. In the latest quarter, deprivation of liberty orders rose by about 6% year on year, from 4,797 in October to December 2024 to 5,075 in October to December 2025, while related applications rose by about 7% (Family Court Statistics Quarterly, gov.uk). These cases involve authorising arrangements that restrict a person's liberty, for example in a care home or hospital, where the person cannot consent.

Reading these figures with care. The Court of Protection tables were reintroduced after the courts moved to a new data system in July 2024, and the Ministry of Justice advises that comparisons with data before the third quarter of 2024 are not recommended (Family Court Statistics Quarterly, Oct to Dec 2024, gov.uk). Year-on-year changes quoted here compare like quarters within the current series, and all figures may be revised in later releases.

What the numbers appear to show

Taken together, the figures point to a court handling more work each year, with 56,832 orders in 2025 against 50,418 in 2024 and applications rising in the latest quarter by about 12% year on year (Family Court Statistics Quarterly, Oct to Dec 2025, gov.uk). The following reading is our own interpretation, offered as general context rather than advice.

A few points seem worth drawing out. First, rising demand sits alongside an ageing population and growing awareness of mental capacity, though the statistics themselves do not confirm cause. Second, the shift toward deprivation of liberty as the largest single category, about 40% of 2025 orders, suggests much of the growth relates to authorising care arrangements rather than to managing money. Third, a large part of the court's financial work involves appointing deputies for people who lost capacity without a lasting power of attorney in place; where someone has already made an Lasting Power of Attorney Explained, an application to the Court of Protection is often unnecessary. The wider estate planning guide sets out where these arrangements sit alongside a will, and our page on deputyship orders looks in more detail at that part of the caseload.

Applications, orders and people are not the same. The 56,832 orders made in 2025 (gov.uk) count court decisions, not individuals. One person's case can generate several orders, and the totals do not tell us how many people are subject to the court's oversight at any moment. Anyone weighing up their own arrangements may find it worth discussing the options with a qualified professional.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

The Court of Protection and the figures on this page cover England and Wales only. Scotland has no Court of Protection; decisions for adults who lack capacity are handled under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, through the sheriff courts and the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland). Northern Ireland has its own framework under the Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016. Because the systems and statistics differ, the England and Wales totals should not be read as UK-wide, and anyone in Scotland or Northern Ireland can check the position with the relevant body for their nation.

Sources and methodology

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the Ministry of Justice's Family Court Statistics Quarterly, published on gov.uk, which includes the Court of Protection tables for England and Wales. We have not estimated, rounded or extrapolated beyond what the sources state; where a figure is not published, we have said so, and quarterly figures are cited to their own bulletins rather than summed.

2025 orders, latest-quarter applications and orders, and deprivation of liberty totals: Family Court Statistics Quarterly, October to December 2025, gov.uk, reference period full year 2025 and the October to December 2025 quarter.
2024 orders total and data-system caveat: Family Court Statistics Quarterly, October to December 2024, gov.uk, reference period full year 2024.
Quarterly applications and orders through 2025: Jan to Mar 2025, Apr to Jun 2025 and Jul to Sep 2025 (all Family Court Statistics Quarterly, gov.uk).
What the Court of Protection is and does: gov.uk, Court of Protection, as at July 2026.

The Ministry of Justice notes that Court of Protection figures were reintroduced after a change of data system in July 2024, and that comparisons with data before the third quarter of 2024 are not recommended. All figures are official statistics and may be revised in later releases.

Frequently asked questions

How many cases does the Court of Protection deal with?

The Court of Protection made 56,832 orders under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in England and Wales during 2025, up from 50,418 in 2024 (Family Court Statistics Quarterly, gov.uk). Orders count court decisions rather than people, and one case can generate several orders, so this is a measure of activity rather than of individuals.

Where do Court of Protection statistics come from?

They are published by the Ministry of Justice within the Family Court Statistics Quarterly, which includes dedicated Court of Protection tables for England and Wales (gov.uk, as at the Oct to Dec 2025 release). The figures are official statistics, released quarterly and subject to revision as the underlying case data is updated.

Is the Court of Protection caseload rising?

The published figures point that way. Orders rose from 50,418 in 2024 to 56,832 in 2025, and applications in the latest quarter were up about 12% year on year (Family Court Statistics Quarterly, gov.uk). The data shows the trend but not the cause, so any explanation, such as an ageing population, is interpretation.

What is the biggest type of Court of Protection order?

In 2025 the largest single category was deprivation of liberty, at about 40% of the 56,832 orders made, with 22,873 such orders that year (Family Court Statistics Quarterly, gov.uk). In 2024 the largest share had been orders appointing a property and affairs deputy, at about 25% of orders.

Do these figures cover the whole UK?

No. The Court of Protection and these statistics relate to England and Wales only. Scotland handles such matters under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 through the sheriff courts and the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland), and Northern Ireland has its own framework (gov.uk, as at July 2026). The totals here should not be read as UK-wide.

Can planning ahead avoid a Court of Protection application?

Often, yes. Where someone has made and registered a lasting power of attorney while they had capacity, an attorney can usually act without a Court of Protection deputyship application (gov.uk, as at July 2026). Many people choose to put an LPA in place for this reason, though whether it suits any given situation is worth discussing with a qualified professional.

About Fairchild Oldfield

The Fairchild Oldfield team brings together estate planning, tax, independent financial advice and client care, working with families across England and Wales.

Fairchild Oldfield are estate planning specialists and will writers, not a firm of solicitors. This article is general information based on practical experience and published official statistics, not legal, tax or financial advice.

Important: This article is general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Reading it does not create a professional relationship. It is based on the law of England and Wales, and other UK jurisdictions may differ. Statistics are reproduced from named official sources at the reference periods shown and may be revised; figures are current as at July 2026 and are subject to change. Before acting, many people choose to seek advice from a suitably qualified professional, such as a solicitor, a STEP practitioner, or an FCA-authorised financial adviser, who can consider their individual circumstances.

Court of Protection Statistics: The UK Caseload in Numbers