Accredited official statistics
Individual insolvencies, May 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 May 2026, 11,223 individuals entered insolvency in England and Wales. This was similar to April 2026, but 10% higher than in May 2025. -The individual insolvencies consisted of 656 bankruptcies, 4,191 debt relief orders (DROs) and 6,376 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs). DRO numbers in May 2026 were slightly higher than in April 2026 but lower than the record high seen in March 2026. The number of IVAs registered in May 2026 was also slightly higher than in April and similar to average numbers seen over the past 12 months. Bankruptcy numbers remained at about half of pre-2020 levels and lower than April 2026 but similar to May 2025.
- In the 12 months ending 31 May 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 31 May 2025.
- There were 4,817 Breathing Space registrations in May 2026. This is 38% lower than in May 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 June 2026