The number of barristers called to the Bar fell by nearly 20% in 2010-11 compared with the previous year, according to new research compiled by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and the Bar Council.

The latest Bar Barometer report shows the overall number of barristers called to the Bar in 2010-11 fell to 1,494, down 19% on the 1,852 that formally joined the Bar in 2009-10.

Of those called, the number of women has fallen to below half at 49%, down from a majority of 53% in 2009-10, while the total number of female practising barristers rose slightly in 2010-11 by around 1% to 5,463, up from 5,259 the previous year.

The total number of practising barristers categorising themselves as black or minority ethnic remained roughly static with 1,594 in 2010-11, compared to 1,545 the previous year.

Meanwhile, the number of pupillages registered across the year fell by around 3% in 2010-11 against 2009-10, with 54% of male pupils compared with 41% women. Five per cent did not disclose their gender.

Fountain Court barrister and incoming BSB vice-chair Patricia Robertson QC (pictured) said: "I don't think you can automatically assume that a decrease in the number of people being called to the Bar is a bad thing. We have to ask society the basic question – how many lawyers do we need?

"The reality is that, in light of economic conditions, there is less work around in some segments of the Bar and funding pupillages is expensive. We are taking steps to address this. The option of working through entities may enable some areas of the Bar who are currently struggling to fund pupillages to do so and we also want to enable people to adopt more flexible approaches to where they do pupillage and how they accumulate experience."

Other statistics included in the report show the final pass rate for students taking the Bar Professional Training Course in 2010-11 was 89% compared with 87% the previous year.

The number of Queen's Counsel in the practising profession rose marginally to 9.5% last year from 9% in 2009-10.

The Bar has embarked on a number of initiatives in recent months to increase access and improve diversity at the Bar ,including the Pegasus Access Scheme, which sees chambers commit to taking on a number of university students from disadvantaged backgrounds for mini-pupillages.