diff --git a/src/middleware/sanitize-query.ts b/src/middleware/sanitize-query.ts
index f37142f872..e82cb0c119 100644
--- a/src/middleware/sanitize-query.ts
+++ b/src/middleware/sanitize-query.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 import { RequestHandler } from 'express';
 import { Query, Sort, Filter, FilterOperator } from '../types/query';
+import { Meta } from '../types/meta';
 
 const sanitizeQuery: RequestHandler = (req, res, next) => {
 	if (!req.query) return;
@@ -39,6 +40,10 @@ const sanitizeQuery: RequestHandler = (req, res, next) => {
 		query.single = sanitizeSingle(req.query.single);
 	}
 
+	if (req.query.meta) {
+		query.meta = sanitizeMeta(req.query.meta);
+	}
+
 	res.locals.query = query;
 	return next();
 };
@@ -95,3 +100,17 @@ function sanitizePage(rawPage: any) {
 function sanitizeSingle(rawSingle: any) {
 	return true;
 }
+
+function sanitizeMeta(rawMeta: any) {
+	if (rawMeta === '*') {
+		return Object.values(Meta);
+	}
+
+	if (rawMeta.includes(',')) {
+		return rawMeta.split(',');
+	}
+
+	if (Array.isArray(rawMeta)) {
+		return rawMeta;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/middleware/validate-query.ts b/src/middleware/validate-query.ts
index 2fdc863dbb..92b06c1c32 100644
--- a/src/middleware/validate-query.ts
+++ b/src/middleware/validate-query.ts
@@ -17,8 +17,11 @@ const validateQuery: RequestHandler = asyncHandler(async (req, res, next) => {
 
 	const query: Query = res.locals.query;
 
-	await validateParams(req.params.collection, query);
-	await validateFields(req.params.collection, query);
+	await Promise.all([
+		validateParams(req.params.collection, query),
+		validateFields(req.params.collection, query),
+		validateMeta(query),
+	]);
 
 	return next();
 });
@@ -55,4 +58,10 @@ async function validateFields(collection: string, query: Query) {
 	});
 }
 
+async function validateMeta(query: Query) {
+	if (!query.meta) return;
+
+	return query.meta.every((metaField) => []);
+}
+
 export default validateQuery;
diff --git a/src/routes/items.ts b/src/routes/items.ts
index d28bd29c3c..2a4ce6b791 100644
--- a/src/routes/items.ts
+++ b/src/routes/items.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { createItem, readItems, readItem, updateItem, deleteItem } from '../serv
 import sanitizeQuery from '../middleware/sanitize-query';
 import collectionExists from '../middleware/collection-exists';
 import validateQuery from '../middleware/validate-query';
+import * as MetaService from '../services/meta';
 
 const router = express.Router();
 
@@ -22,9 +23,13 @@ router.get(
 	sanitizeQuery,
 	validateQuery,
 	asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
-		const records = await readItems(req.params.collection, res.locals.query);
+		const [records, meta] = await Promise.all([
+			readItems(req.params.collection, res.locals.query),
+			MetaService.getMetaForQuery(req.params.collection, res.locals.query),
+		]);
 
 		return res.json({
+			meta: meta,
 			data: records,
 		});
 	})
diff --git a/src/services/meta.ts b/src/services/meta.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c97588856a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/services/meta.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import { Query } from '../types/query';
+import database from '../database';
+
+export const getMetaForQuery = async (collection: string, query: Query) => {
+	if (!query.meta) return;
+
+	const results = await Promise.all(
+		query.meta.map((metaVal) => {
+			if (metaVal === 'total_count') return totalCount(collection);
+			if (metaVal === 'filter_count') return filterCount(collection, query);
+		})
+	);
+
+	return results.reduce((metaObject: Record<string, any>, value, index) => {
+		return {
+			...metaObject,
+			[query.meta[index]]: value,
+		};
+	}, {});
+};
+
+export const totalCount = async (collection: string) => {
+	const records = await database(collection).count('*');
+	return records[0].count;
+};
+
+export const filterCount = async (collection: string, query: Query) => {
+	/** @TODO use actual query builder logic from items service to get count */
+	const records = await database(collection).count('*');
+	return records[0].count;
+};
diff --git a/src/types/meta.ts b/src/types/meta.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..19de6a1c91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/types/meta.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+export enum Meta {
+	TOTAL_COUNT = 'total_count',
+	FILTER_COUNT = 'filter_count',
+}
diff --git a/src/types/query.ts b/src/types/query.ts
index b4dd1fc904..f7980421d6 100644
--- a/src/types/query.ts
+++ b/src/types/query.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import { Meta } from './meta';
+
 export type Query = {
 	fields?: string[];
 	sort?: Sort[];
@@ -6,6 +8,7 @@ export type Query = {
 	offset?: number;
 	page?: number;
 	single?: boolean;
+	meta?: Meta[];
 };
 
 export type Sort = {