DBS Figures and Statistics
On this page, you’ll find the most up-to-date information and statistics regarding the Disclosure and Barring Service and DBS Checks.
We endeavour to update this information as soon as new data is available but we cannot guarantee this.
DBS Figures OVerview
The Disclosure and Barring Service are a non-departmental government body responsible for criminal record checks and barring in the UK. The DBS was created from two previous agencies, the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) following the Royal Assent of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.
Within the DBS’ first 4 months of operating, 1.2 million DBS certificates were issued. Since then, the DBS has processed more than 52 million DBS Basic, Standard and Enhanced checks. During that period, more than 41,000 individuals have been placed on one or both Barred Lists.
2022/23 Figures Overview
Between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, the DBS worked with 83 Responsible Organisations (RO) and 813 Registered Bodies (RB). An RO is an organisation that is registered with DBS to submit Basic DBS checks. An RB is an organisation that is registered with DBS to submit Standard, Enhanced, and Volunteer DBS checks.
Between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, the DBS issued a total of 7,538,986 Basic, Standard, Enhanced and Enhanced with Barred List(s) check DBS certificates. This is an increase of 445,282.
Barring Statistics
The DBS Barred 6266 people between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.
64,684 people were listed on the adults’ barred list. An increase of 3209 (+5.22%).
82,799 people were listed on the Children’s Barred List. An increase of 4744 (+6.08%).
93,653 people were listed on one or both Barred Lists. An increase of 5990 (+6.83%).
Current Processing Times
Each month the DBS publish the current average time taken to process each level of DBS application. You can find the most up-to-date figures below:
Enhanced DBS Check processing time: 11.6 days
Standard DBS Check processing time: 1.4 days
Basic DBS Check processing time: 0.9 days
The length of time a DBS Check takes depends on several factors. These include:
The level of DBS Check being carried out.
Whether a search of any Barred Lists is needed
DBS and police workload
How many different areas an applicant has lived in
How the DBS application was submitted
Whether the application form has been completed correctly
Police workload can have a major impact on Enhanced DBS Check turnaround times. Currently, there are 5 police forces across England and Wales which are experiencing delays. These are:
Derbyshire
Dyfed Powys
Hampshire
Kent
Sussex
If you or your employees live or have lived in one of these areas and an Enhanced DBS Check has been applied for, it will likely be delayed.
Performance against Published Service Standards
As a public sector organisation, the Disclosure and Barring Service must maintain incredibly high standards of transparency, customer experience and value for money. The most critical areas that the DBS focuses on are collected each year in their Published Service Standards.
For 2022/23, the DBS achieved 6 out of 11 of their reported published service standards. The failure to meet all 11 has been attributed to the significant increase in demand for DBS Checks post-COVID-19.
You can find the full published list below:
| Published Service Standard | 21-22 | 22-23 | 22-23 Target | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality: Barring quality rate of closures (monthly | 99.90% | 99.86% | >99.50% | Achieved |
| Quality: Percentage of all criminality and barring information the DBS should place on a certificate will be included (monthly) |
100% | 100% | >99.98% | Achieved |
| Quality: Customer rating of experience of DBS within previous 3 months (annually) | 81.4 | 78.4 | >85 | Not Achieved |
| Timeliness: Percentage of Basic DBS certificates despatched within 2 days (monthly) | 80.7% | 85.2% | >80% | Achieved |
| Timeliness: Percentage of Standard DBS certificates despatched within 5 days (monthly) | 86.2% | 94.7% | >80% | Achieved |
| Timeliness: Percentage of Enhanced DBS certificates despatched within 5 days (monthly) | 81.8% | 78.4% | >80% | Not Achieved |
| Timeliness: percentage of automatic barring cases completed within 6 months | N/A | 98.1% | >95.0% | Achieved |
| Timeliness: Percentage of cases where we were Minded to Bar, that were closed within 9 months |
N/A | 47.8% | >50.0% | Not Achieved |
| Efficiency: Efficiencies delivered as a percentage of DBS spending | N/A | 5.2% | >3% | Achieved |
| People: The engagement level of our employees | 58% | 58% | >66.0% | Not Achieved |
| People: The diversity of our employees | 2.64% | 2.79% | >7% | Not Achieved |
Published Service Standards (DBS Check Performance)
The DBS publish more detailed statistics relating to each level of DBS Check. This data shows how well the DBS performed each month, for each level of check, against their published service standards. Achievement against this target is calculated by the number of checks processed during the month and the date that the result/check outcome was available to the customer.
All DBS checks are counted - there are no exceptions or exclusions.
The tables below show figures for the past 6 months. This data is published quarterly and we endeavour to update this as soon as new information becomes available.
| PSS Performance - Enhanced DBS Checks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting Month | Enhanced DBS Check Despatched |
14 Day Target | ||
| Volume Completed within 14 Days | 14 Day PSS Target | 14 Day PSS Actual (%) | ||
| Jul-23 | 410,556 | 319,829 | 80.0% | 77.9% |
| Aug-23 | 347,987 | 262,617 | 80.0% | 75.5% |
| Sep-23 | 379,723 | 296,487 | 80.0% | 78.1% |
| Oct-23 | 415,428 | 319,818 | 80.0% | 77.0% |
| Nov-23 | 382,444 | 294,278 | 80.0% | 76.9% |
| Dec-23 | 291,028 | 220,900 | 80.0% | 75.9% |
Published Service Standards (Standard DBS Checks)
| PSS Performance - Standard DBS Checks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting Month | Enhanced DBS Check Despatched |
3 Day Target | ||
| Volume Completed within 5 Days | 3 Day PSS Target | 3 Day PSS Actual (%) | ||
| Jul-23 | 35,378 | 32,380 | 85.0% | 91.5% |
| Aug-23 | 36,375 | 33,482 | 85.0% | 92.0% |
| Sep-23 | 32,627 | 29,142 | 85.0% | 89.3% |
| Oct-23 | 35,858 | 31,248 | 85.0% | 87.1% |
| Nov-23 | 36,089 | 32,028 | 85.0% | 88.7% |
| Dec-23 | 29,137 | 24,760 | 85.0% | 85.0% |
Published Service Standards (Basic DBS Checks)
| PSS Performance - Basic DBS Checks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting Month | Enhanced DBS Check Despatched |
2 Day Target | ||
| Volume Completed within 2 Days | 2 Day PSS Target | 2 Day PSS Actual (%) | ||
| Jul-23 | 217,010 | 189,288 | 85.0% | 87.2% |
| Aug-23 | 225,971 | 194,788 | 85.0% | 86.2% |
| Sep-23 | 245,097 | 200,412 | 85.0% | 81.8% |
| Oct-23 | 284,772 | 249,576 | 85.0% | 87.6% |
| Nov-23 | 253,548 | 225,064 | 85.0% | 88.8% |
| Dec-23 | 156,179 | 137,310 | 85.0% | 87.9% |
Basic DBS Checks
A Basic DBS Check is a criminal record check available to anyone in the UK. It is the lowest level of criminal record check available. Basic DBS Checks can be used for any position or purpose, except where a higher level of DBS Check is needed. Individuals can apply for Basic DBS Checks directly, unlike the higher levels of DBS Checks.
A Basic DBS Check (also known as a Basic Disclosure) will contain details of convictions and conditional cautions considered to be ‘unspent’ under the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
The statistics below represent the most up-to-date figures available from the DBS’ Annual Report for the 2022/23 financial year.
The average time to issue a Basic DBS Certificate was 1.1 calendar days.
85.2% of Basic DBS Certificates were issued within 2 calendar days
2,642,272 Basic DBS Checks were carried out. A decrease of 14849 (-0.56%).
35.05% of all DBS Checks processed were Basic DBS Checks.
sTANDARD DBS Checks
A Standard DBS Check is a more in-depth criminal record than the Basic DBS Check. This level of DBS Checks reveals any spent or unspent criminal convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings. It can only be applied for by employers or organisations.
The statistics below represent the most up-to-date figures available from the DBS’ Annual Report for the 2022/23 financial year.
The average time to issue a Standard DBS Certificate was 1.6 calendar days
94.7% of Standard DBS Certificates were issued within 5 calendar days
396,122 Standard DBS Checks were carried out. An increase of 19934 (+5.29%).
Standard DBS Checks only represent 8% of the total amount of DBS Checks processed in 2022/23
Enhanced DBS Checks
Enhanced DBS checks show spent and unspent convictions and cautions. They may also show if requested, a search of the Children's and/or Adults' barred lists. Local police forces may also release extra information about the applicant as part of the check, if relevant to the job role being applied for.
The statistics below represent the most up-to-date figures available from the DBS’ Annual Report for the 2022/23 financial year.
The average time to issue an Enhanced DBS Certificate was 10.7 calendar days
78.4% of Enhanced DBS Certificates were issued within 14 calendar days. This is just less than 2% lower than the DBS target for the 22-23 calendar year, which was 80%.
267,720 Enhanced DBS Checks (without Barred Lists) were processed. An increase of 26,916 (+11.18%).
3.55% of DBS Checks processed were Enhanced no Barred.
4,232,872 Enhanced DBS Checks with one or more Barred List(s) included were processed. An increase of 413,281 (+10.82%).
56.14% of all DBS Checks processed were Enhanced with Barred.
DBS UPDATE SERVICE
The DBS Update Service was launched in June 2013 to streamline compliance in regulated industries. For a small subscription of just £13 per annum, individuals can have ther DBS Certificate kept up-to-date and take it with them from role to role, within the same workforce, where the same type and level of check is required.
The statistics below represent the most up-to-date information available from the ‘DBS dataset 1: DBS checks, the DBS Update Service, and disputes’:
As of December 2023, there were 2,713,519 active subscribers on the DBS Update Service
766,856 individuals registered for the Update Service in 2023
The DBS recorded 4910 status changes to DBS Certificates registered to the Update Service in 2023*.
22,564,182 Update Service status checks were carried out by employers in 2023.
85% of Update Service subscriptions were renewed in 2023.
356,232 Update Service subscriptions were cancelled or left to expire in 2023.
A status change indicates that relevant information has been identified about the individual since their Disclosure certificate was last issued.
Access NI
Access NI is the equivalent organisation to the DBS in Northern Ireland and is a branch of the Department of Justice. Access NI Checks are required by individuals applying for roles that involve a certain level of responsibility or care for others in Northern Ireland. There are three levels of Access NI Check, Basic, Standard and Enhanced (with or without barred list(s) searches).
While a DBS Check will reveal criminal record history from any constituent UK country, for those working within Northern Ireland an Access NI Check is the correct criminal record check to request. DBS Checks are aimed at employers in England and Wales.
The statistics below represent the most up-to-date information available from the ‘ACCESSNI PERFORMANCE AND ACTIVITY REPORT 1 APRIL 2022 - 31 MARCH 2023’:
Stats Overview
Access NI received 176,325 total check applications in 2022/23. An overall increase of +6.73%
Access NI issued 174,313 Access NI certificates in 2022/23. An overall increase of +7.10%
Around 4.1% of all Access NI certificates disclosed information.
Only 1 Access NI Certificate in every 24,901 certificates issued contained an error.
Basic Access NI CHecks
Access NI received 42,738 Basic Access NI applications in 2022/23. A decrease of -0.38%
Access NI issued 42,083 Basic Access NI certificates in 2022/23. An increase of +1.93%
100% of Basic Access NI Checks submitted by registered bodies were completed within 7 days.
99.5% of Basic Access NI Checks submitted by the public were completed within 14 days.
The average time to issue a Basic Access NI Check submitted by an RB was 0.8 days.
The average time to issue a Basic Access NI Check submitted by the public was 2.2 days
Standard Access NI Checks
Access NI received 4,586 Standard Access NI applications in 2022/23. A decrease of -18.06%
Access NI issued 4,577 Standard Access NI certificates in 2022/23. A decrease of -17.99%
99.8% of Standard Access NI Checks were completed within 7 days.
The average time to issue a Standard Access NI Check was 0.8 days.
500 Standard Access NI certificates had information filtered from them before they were issued. 361 counts related to convictions, 104 to cautions, and 35 counts where both convictions and cautions were filtered.
Enhanced Access NI Checks
Access NI received 129,000 Enhanced Access NI applications in 2022/23. An increase of +10.54%
Access NI issued 127,653 Enhanced Access NI certificates in 2022/23. An increase of +10.20%
86.3% of Enhanced Access NI Checks were completed within 10 days.
96.7% of Enhanced Access NI Checks were completed within 21 days.
97.8% of Enhanced Access NI Checks were completed within 28 days.
The average time to issue an Enhanced Access NI Check was 4.6 days.
5308 Enhanced Access NI certificates had information filtered from them before they were issued.
3281 counts related to convictions
1750 to cautions
277 counts related to both convictions and cautions being filtered.
Ten persons who applied for an Enhanced check were found to be on one of the UK lists of those barred from working with children or vulnerable adults.
Disclosure Scotland
Disclosure Scotland is the equivalent organisation to the DBS in Scotland and is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Disclosure Scotland Checks are required by individuals applying for roles that involve a certain level of responsibility or care for others in Scotland.
Disclosure Scotland works slightly differently from the DBS and Access NI. While they still process Basic, Standard and Enhanced disclosure checks, they also manage the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. In simple terms, joining the PVG Scheme is like having an Enhanced DBS Check (with barred lists search) carried out and having it immediately registered to the DBS Update Service.
While a DBS Check will reveal criminal record history from any constituent UK country, for those working within Scotland, either a Disclosure Scotland or PVG Check is the correct criminal record check to request. DBS Checks are aimed at employers in England and Wales.
The statistics below represent the most up-to-date information available from Disclosure Scotland’s ‘Annual report and accounts 2022/23’. Please note, the figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.
Stats Overview
Disclosure Scotland received 307,000 applications for disclosure checks in 2022/23.
272,000 Basic Disclosure Scotland checks (a decrease of -8% from the previous year)
35,000 Standard and Enhanced Disclosure Scotland Checks (an increase of +35% from the previous year).
Disclosure Scotland issued 303,000 disclosure certificates in 2022/23. This is a decrease of -4.41%.
Disclosure Scotland received 320,000 applications to the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. This is an increase of +6% from the previous year.
Disclosure Scotland issued 304,000 PVG certificates in 2022/23. This is an increase of +3.75%.
The average processing time for all applications was 5.3 days.
98.4% of all applications were completed within 14 days.
88,000 new members were added to the PVG scheme and 17,000 were removed.
membership of the PVG scheme stood at 1,533,000