Compensation Orders
Key Facts and Statistics
by Raphael Freund & Annalena Wolcke
Published: 25 Sep 2025
Fact 2
Compensation orders require convicted individuals to pay money to a victim, for example for
medical expenses,
loss of earnings
Fact 3
Compensation orders are included in
26%
of all
sentences imposed in
England & Wales
In 2024
- The average value of compensation was £143
- 78% of compensation orders were for £100 or less
- 90% of compensation orders were for £200 or less
Fact 4
Top 6 offences leading to
compensation orders
| Individuals sentenced in 2024 | |
|---|---|
| 1. Vehicle registration and excise license offences | 133,672 |
| 2. Other railway offences | 82,866 |
| 3. Theft from a shop | 17,402 |
| 4. Travelling by railway without paying correct fare, failing to show ticket, failing to give name and address, etc | 11,236 |
| 5. Assault of an emergency worker | 8,836 |
| 6. Common assault and battery | 7,383 |
This infographic is one of a series on sentencing trends in England & Wales. Others can be found here. For further information, contact Annalena Wolcke at a.wolcke@sentencingacademy.org.uk
- Sentencing Council (n.d.) Explanatory Materials: Compensation Order. https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/explanatory-materials/compensation-order/. ↩︎
- Data source for facts 1-4: Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly December 2024, published 15 of May, 2025. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2024. ↩︎