Statistics published by the Youth Justice Board show that there were 909 under-18s in custody in April this year - an increase of 51 (or 5.9 per cent) on the figure for March of 858.
It is the first annual increase since August 2008, when the figure rose from 2,991 to 3,019.
Youth custody levels fell to a historic low in December 2016, of 829, but have been rising since then.
The Youth Justice Board, which was relieved of responsibility for youth custody in April, said: "The numbers rose by 51 between March and April and this is something we are closely monitoring."
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