Accredited official statistics
Individual insolvencies, March 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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Details
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In March 2026, 12,252 individual insolvencies were registered in
England and Wales. This was 30% higher than in March 2025 and 3%
higher than in February 2026.
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The individual insolvencies consisted of 654 bankruptcies, 4,523 debt
relief orders (DROs) and 7,075 individual voluntary arrangements
(IVAs). The number of DROs in March 2026 was a record high in the
monthly time series going back to their introduction in 2009,
exceeding the previous high of 4,301 in February 2026. The number of
IVAs was higher than both February 2026 and the 2025 monthly average.
The monthly numbers of bankruptcies between November 2025 and February
2026 were affected by the Insolvency Service’s transition to a new
case management system. In March 2026, bankruptcies were at a similar
level to October 2025.
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In the 12 months ending 31 March 2026, one in 379 adults in England
and Wales entered insolvency (at a rate of 26.4 per 10,000 adults).
This was higher than the rate of 24.2 per 10,000 adults (one in 413)
who entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 31 March 2025.
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There were 5,175 Breathing Space registrations in March 2026. This was
36% lower than in March 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 17 April 2026
