Company insolvencies, May 2026
Monthly tables and commentary on the numbers, rates and sectors of companies that have entered formal insolvency procedures in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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• The number of registered company insolvencies in England and Wales was 1,868 in May 2026, 10% lower than in April 2026 (2,087), and 16% lower than the same month in the previous year (2,231 in May 2025).
• Company insolvencies in May 2026 consisted of 285 compulsory liquidations, 1,423 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), 135 administrations and 25 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs). There were no receivership appointments. Numbers of both compulsory liquidations and CVLs in May 2026 were lower than in April 2026 and lower than the 2025 monthly average. Administrations were 24% lower than in April 2026, when more than 70 connected companies in the real estate sector entered insolvency and 5% lower than in March 2025.
• One in 196 companies on the Companies House effective register (at a rate of 50.9 per 10,000 companies) entered insolvency between 1 June 2025 and 31 May 2026. This was a decrease from the 53.0 per 10,000 companies that entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 31 May 2025. Insolvency rates are calculated on a 12-month rolling basis as a proportion of the total number of companies on the effective register. The 12-month rolling rates show longer term trends and reduce the volatility associated with estimates based on single months.
• While the insolvency rate has increased since the lows seen in 2020 and 2021, it remains much lower than the peak of 113.1 per 10,000 companies seen during the 2008-09 recession. This is because the number of companies on the effective register has more than doubled over this period.