This publication contains five sets of data tables, which are linked to on this page:
\n\nIn 2025, the rate of individual insolvency in England and Wales was\n25.3 per 10,000 adults, meaning that one in 395 adults entered an\ninsolvency procedure during that year. This was higher than the one in\n415 adults (24.1 per 10,000) in 2024.
\nAt regional level, the North East of England had the highest\nindividual insolvency rate (33.8 per 10,000 adults), while individuals\nin London had the lowest (16.2 per 10,000). The North East has been\nthe region with the highest rate of insolvency every year since 2008,\nwhile London has been the region with the lowest rate each year since\nthe series began in 2000. The other seven English regions, as well as\nWales, all had rates between 23.7 and 29.2 per 10,000. The insolvency\nrate was higher than the five-year (2020 to 2024) average in all\nregions of England and Wales.
\nRates varied by local authority from 9.4 per 10,000 (1 in 1,067\nadults) in Richmond upon Thames to 63.0 per 10,000 (1 in 159 adults)\nin Halton.
\nThe local authorities with the highest rates of individual insolvency\nwere mainly in the North of England, including Halton (63.0 per\n10,000), Kingston upon Hull (55.3) and Blackpool (50.8). The six local\nauthorities with the lowest insolvency rates were London boroughs.\nOutside London, the local authorities with the lowest rates were\nCambridge, Ceredigion and Wokingham.
\nThe geographical distribution of insolvency rates in 2025 was similar\nto previous years. For the majority of local authorities, the rate in\n2025 was between the same as in 2024 and 3.5 per 10,000 adults higher.
\nRates varied by parliamentary constituency from 6.8 per 10,000 (1 in\n1,475 adults) in Sheffield Hallam to 64.9 per 10,000 (1 in 154 adults)\nin Kingston upon Hull East.
\nThe female insolvency rate (27.6 per 10,000) was higher than the male\nrate (23.6 per 10,000) as has been the case each year since 2014.\nWomen had a higher rate of insolvency than men in all age groups\nexcept for those aged 65 and over.
\nWomen were more likely than men to have a debt relief order (DROs) or\nenter an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA), while men were more\nlikely than women to become bankrupt. Historically, men were more\nlikely to enter bankruptcy than have a debt relief order (DRO),\nhowever the reverse has been true since 2021.
\nInsolvency rates were highest for adults between 35 and 44 and lowest\nfor adults aged 65 and over. This has been the case each year since\n2007.
\nIndividual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) were the most common type of\ninsolvency in all age groups except those under the age of 25, for\nwhich DROs were most common. The proportion of insolvencies that were\nbankruptcies was higher for adults aged over 45 than other age groups,\nbut bankruptcies were the least common type of insolvency for all age\ngroups.
\nIn 2025, one in 550 adults (a rate of 18.2 per 10,000) in England and\nWales entered a breathing space under the Debt Respite\nScheme.
\nThe North East was the region with the highest breathing space\nregistration rate in 2025, at 23.3 per 10,000 adults, while London had\nthe lowest, at 14.1 per 10,000 adults. Halton was the local authority\nwith the highest breathing space rate at 54.9 per 10,000 adults, this\nhas been the case every year since the introduction of breathing space\nin 2021.
\nAs with insolvency, breathing space rates were highest for 25 to 44\nyear-olds and lowest for those over 65.
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