The number of people entering training to become Church of England priests is at the highest level for a decade — with women making up more than half the total, according to new figures released today.

There are 544 ordinands beginning training this autumn, which is an increase of 14 per cent on last year and the highest figure for 10 years, according to the statistics from the Ministry Division of the Church of England.

Of these, 274 ordinands are women, which makes up the biggest female intake for a decade, and an increase of 19 per cent compared to last year.

Meanwhile, the number of younger ordinands, in the under-32 age group, rose by nearly two fifths, and now accounts for 28 per cent of the total.

The figures, which cover the period from 2008 to 2017, are published alongside Ministry Statistics for 2016 showing the number of women serving in ordained ministry in the Church of England rose by seven per cent from 5,310 in 2013, to a record high of 5,690 last year.

Nonetheless, women still make up less than a third – or 29 per cent – of the total number of active clergy.

The annual figures also show a fall of just over two per cent in the number of serving clergy, from 20,020 in 2013 to 19,550 in 2016, reflecting an increase in the numbers of clergy reaching retirement age.

During the same period, the number of clergy in paid positions fell by four per cent, from 8,120 in 2013 to 7,790 in 2016.

The proportion of clergy in paid positions from black and minority ethnic communities remained largely unchanged in 2016, at 3.5 per cent.

The figures come as the Church of England steps up efforts to increase the number of candidates for ordination by 50 per cent by 2020 as part of its 'Renewal and Reform' programme, with an emphasis on increasing the number of women, youth and ethincally diverse ordinands.

The director of the Church of England's ministry division, Julian Hubbard, said: 'The increase in numbers of those called to serve as clergy reflects a great deal of hard work, especially in the dioceses and local churches, but also the persistent and dedicated prayers of many in the churches both during the post-Easter prayer campaign for vocations and throughout the year. We are thankful for God's generosity and goodness shown in the gifts we have been given.

'We are mindful, however, that significant work still remains to be done to improve the age profile, gender and ethnicity of our clergy to better reflect the makeup of our congregations and the wider population. We continue to seek prayers and support for this to be achieved.'

Mike Eastwood, the Director of the Renewal and Reform programme, added: 'The overwhelming majority of the work of Renewal and Reform is about encouraging and inspiring the Church at parish and diocesan level in its work of evangelism, mission and fostering vocations to lay and ordained ministry and leadership.

'We hope that these figures published today will inspire us all and remind us of what still needs to be done towards fulfilling our goal of providing a hopeful future for the Church of England in which we can once again become a growing church for all people in all places.'