Individual insolvencies, February 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.
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In February 2026, 11,609 individual insolvencies were registered in England and Wales. This was 18% higher than in February 2025 and 6% higher than in January 2026.
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The individual insolvencies consisted of 768 bankruptcies, 4,210 debt relief orders (DROs) and 6,631 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs). The number of DROs in February 2026 was a record high in the monthly time series going back to their introduction in 2009, exceeding the previous high of 4,185 in August 2025. The number of IVAs was higher than both January 2026 and the 2025 monthly average. Bankruptcies were 25% higher than in February 2025, although numbers were affected by the clearing of a backlog following the Insolvency Service moving to a new case management system.
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In the 12 months ending 28 February 2026, one in 388 adults in England and Wales entered insolvency (at a rate of 25.8 per 10,000 adults). This was higher than the rate of 24.0 per 10,000 adults (one in 417) who entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 28 February 2025.
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There were 5,102 Breathing Space registrations in February 2026. This was 35% lower than in February 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.