Accredited official statistics
Individual insolvencies, August 2025
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
Main messages for England and Wales
- In August 2025, 11,348 individuals entered insolvency in England and Wales. This was 7% higher than in July 2025 and 16% higher than in August 2024.
- The individual insolvencies consisted of 622 bankruptcies, 4,239 debt relief orders (DROs) and 6,487 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs). The number of DROs in August 2025 was a record high in the monthly time series going back to their introduction in 2009, exceeding the previous high of 4,191 in June 2024. The number of IVAs registered in August 2025 was higher than both the average monthly number seen in 2024 and the first seven months of 2025. Bankruptcy numbers remained at about half of pre-2020 levels but were 2% higher than in August 2024.
- In the 12 months ending 31 August 2025, one in 412 adults in England and Wales entered insolvency (at a rate of 24.3 per 10,000 adults). This is higher than the rate of 22.7 per 10,000 adults (one in 441) who entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 31 August 2024.
- There were 7,395 Breathing Space registrations in August 2025. This is 2% higher than in August 2024.
Updates to this page
Published 19 September 2025