Accredited official statistics
Individual insolvencies, April 2026
Monthly tables and commentary on the numbers and rates of individual insolvencies, including bankruptcies, debt relief orders and individual voluntary arrangements in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and quarterly information for Scotland. For England and Wales, Breathing Space scheme statistics are also included.
Documents
Details
- In April 2026, 10,920 individuals entered insolvency in England and Wales. This was 10% lower than in March 2026 but 7% higher than in April 2025.
- The individual insolvencies consisted of 701 bankruptcies, 4,033 debt relief orders (DROs) and 6,186 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs). DRO numbers in April 2026 were lower than the record high seen in March 2026. The number of IVAs registered in April 2026 was also lower than in March, but similar to average numbers seen over the past 12 months. Bankruptcy numbers remained at about half of pre-2020 levels but were similar to March 2026 and 12% higher than in April 2025.
- In the 12 months ending 30 April 2026, one in 376 adults in England and Wales entered insolvency (at a rate of 26.6 per 10,000 adults). This is higher than the rate of 24.1 per 10,000 adults (one in 415) who entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 30 April 2025.
- There were 4,862 Breathing Space registrations in April 2026. This is 33% lower than in April 2025. Numbers of breathing spaces have been lower since December 2025 after the largest money advisor group by number of cases updated its suitability criteria for its clients to apply for a breathing space.
Updates to this page
Published 19 May 2026