Individual insolvencies, July 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 July 2026, 11,926 individuals entered insolvency in England and Wales. This was similar to in June 2026 but 14% higher than in July 2025.
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The individual insolvencies consisted of 664 bankruptcies, 3,820 debt relief orders (DROs) and 7,442 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs). The number of IVAs registered in July 2026 was slightly higher than in June 2026. With the exception of December 2025, which was affected by the clearing of a backlog of cases that were agreed in previous months, this is the highest monthly number of IVAs since November 2022. DRO numbers in July 2026 were slightly lower than in June 2026 and lower than the average monthly numbers seen over the past 12 months. Bankruptcy numbers were lower than in June 2026 but higher than in July 2025.
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In the 12 months ending 31 July 2026, one in 360 adults in England and Wales entered insolvency (at a rate of 27.8 per 10,000 adults). This is higher than the rate of 24.3 per 10,000 adults (one in 412) who entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 31 July 2025.
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There were 5,248 Breathing Space registrations in July 2026. This is 38% lower than in July 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.