Business insolvency demography, 2015 to 2025
Official statistics in development for the numbers and rates of business insolvencies in the United Kingdom from 2015 to 2025, broken down by region, industry, age, number of employees, and turnover
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In England and Wales in 2025, there were 22,455 business insolvencies. The business insolvency rate was 116 per 10,000 businesses, similar to in 2024 (117 per 10,000), but higher than the rate in 2019 (88 per 10,000).
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In 2025, businesses with 10 to 249 employees had higher insolvency rates than micro businesses (businesses with less than 10 employees) or large businesses (250 or more employees). Businesses with £250,000 to £50 million turnover had higher insolvency rates than businesses with less than £250,000 turnover or more than £50 million turnover.
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The sector with the highest business insolvency rate in 2025 was Accommodation and food service activities, with 268 insolvencies per 10,000 businesses. This sector has had the highest rate each year since the start of the time series in 2015. Out of the top nine industries (by number of businesses), the sector with the lowest rate was Real estate activities, with 60 insolvencies per 10,000 businesses. This sector has had the lowest rate in each year since 2021.
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In 2025, businesses aged 7 to 10 years had the highest insolvency rate (170 per 10,000). Businesses aged less than 2 years showed the lowest insolvency rate (37 per 10,000).