National statistics

Commentary - Individual Insolvency Statistics January to March 2023

Updated 17 May 2023

Released

28 April 2023

Next release

28 July 2023

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Statistical enquiries

Samuel Tudor (author)

statistics@insolvency.gov.uk

David Webster (responsible statistician)

The Insolvency Service is currently seeking views on proposed changes to our Official Statistics publications.

The consultation will be open from 16 May to 30 June 2023.

1. Main messages for England and Wales

• After seasonal adjustment, the number of individual insolvencies in January to March (Q1) 2023 was 2% lower than in Q4 2022. Numbers of debt relief orders (DROs) and bankruptcies were higher, but individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) were slightly lower. The total number of individual insolvencies was 9% lower than in Q1 2022.
• One in 408 adults (at a rate of 24.5 per 10,000 adults) entered insolvency between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023. This is an increase from the 24.1 per 10,000 adults who entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 31 March 2022.
• During Q1 2023, there were 29,017 (seasonally adjusted) individual insolvencies, as shown in Figure 1, comprised of 20,246 IVAs, 7,034 DROs and 1,737 bankruptcies.
• There were 23,179 Breathing Space registrations in Q1 2023. This is 34% higher than in Q1 2022. Of the 23,179 Breathing Space registrations, 22,770 were Standard Breathing Space registrations and 409 were Mental Health Breathing Space registrations.

Figure 1: Individual insolvencies in Q1 2023 were similar to Q4 2022, but were lower than Q1 2022.

England and Wales, Q3 2003 to Q1 2023, seasonally adjusted

Source: Insolvency Service

The long-term series back to Q1 1984 (where applicable) can be found in the CSV file that accompanies this release.

From the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic until mid-2021, numbers of bankruptcies and DROs were low when compared with pre-pandemic levels. This is likely to have been driven in part by the range of government support put in place to financially support individuals during this time. While DRO numbers increased following the June 2021 change to eligibility criteria, bankruptcy numbers continued to decline. Numbers of IVA registrations are volatile between quarters, but there has been no clear increasing or decreasing trend over the past three years.

2. Things you need to know about this release

This statistics release contains the latest data on individual insolvency in the UK, presenting the numbers of individuals who have entered a formal insolvency procedure after being unable to pay their debts. Information is presented separately for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Insolvency Service separately publishes monthly statistics to provide more up to date information on the numbers of company and individual insolvencies during this time of economic uncertainty. However, they have not replaced the quarterly National Statistics, since the information presented on a monthly basis is less granular and is less reliable for monitoring changes in trends over time.

Underlying data for these quarterly statistics for England and Wales were adjusted where there was evidence of seasonality, to account for variation in individual insolvencies across the year and allow for comparison to the most recent period within years. Data for Scotland and Northern Ireland were not adjusted. The seasonal adjustment models are reviewed on an annual basis. In accordance with the outcome of the April 2023 Seasonal Adjustment Review, bankruptcies, DROs and IVAs were all seasonally adjusted. In previous releases DROs were not seasonally adjusted, however the April 2023 review detected seasonality in the series. Therefore, in this and subsequent releases, DRO numbers will be adjusted.

The number of breathing space registrations under the Debt Respite Scheme are included in these statistics. Individuals that register for breathing space may or may not end up entering a formal insolvency procedure. Those that do enter a formal insolvency procedure will be counted accordingly in Tables 1 to 5 of the accompanying tables.

New monetary eligibility limits for Debt Relief Orders in England and Wales came into effect on 29 June 2021. This included the level of debt at which people can apply for a DRO being increased from £20,000 to £30,000, as well as other changes which can be found in the Glossary. More people are now able to access this form of debt solution as a result of these changes.

Quarters referred to in this publication are calendar year quarters, such that Q1 2023 is the period from 1 January to 31 March 2023.

2.1 Designation as National Statistics

The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has designated these statistics as National Statistics, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. Once statistics have been designated as National Statistics it is a statutory requirement that the Code of Practice shall continue to be observed.

The last compliance review was conducted in July 2019.

Designation can be broadly interpreted to mean that the statistics meet identified user needs; are well explained and readily accessible; are produced according to sound methods, and are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest.

3. Individual insolvency in England and Wales

3.1 Numbers of individual insolvencies

After seasonal adjustment, there were 29,017 individual insolvencies registered in Q1 2023, 2% lower than the number of individual insolvencies registered in the previous quarter, and 9% lower than during the same quarter in the previous year.

Individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) were the most common individual insolvency procedure (70% of cases), followed by DROs (24% of cases) and bankruptcies (6% of cases). IVAs make up a larger proportion of individual insolvencies than in the past and bankruptcies a much smaller proportion. Five years ago (Q1 2018), IVAs made up 61% of individual insolvencies, compared to 24% for DROs and 15% for bankruptcies, while ten years ago, 48% of individual insolvencies were IVAs, compared to 27% for DROs and 24% for bankruptcies.

Unlike the monthly statistics, quarterly statistics are seasonally adjusted to account for seasonal variation in insolvencies across the year and allow for comparison to the most recent period within years.

Table 1: The numbers of DROs and IVAs were lower in Q1 2023 than Q4 2022, while the number of bankruptcies was higher

England and Wales, Q1 2022 to Q1 2023, seasonally adjusted

	Total individual insolvencies	Bankruptcies	Debt relief orders	Individual voluntary arrangements
2022Q1	32,011	1,667	6,491	23,853
2022Q2	29,233	1,657	5,789	21,787
2022Q3	28,081	1,730	5,727	20,624
2022Q4	29,534	1,624	6,211	21,699
2023Q1	29,017	1,737	7,034	20,246
Percentage change, latest quarter (Q1 2023) compared with:
vs 2022Q4	-2%	7%	13%	-7%
vs 2022Q1	-9%	4%	8%	-15%

Source: Insolvency Service

The long-term series back to Q1 1984 (where applicable) can be found in the CSV file that accompanies this release.

IVAs

After seasonal adjustment, the number of IVAs registered in Q1 2023 decreased by 7% from the previous quarter, and was 15% lower than in Q1 2022.

Caution needs to be applied when interpreting the IVA numbers. IVAs are counted within these statistics once they are registered with the Insolvency Service by licensed insolvency practitioners. There can be a time lag between the date on which the IVA is accepted and the date of registration. Changes in volumes of registered IVAs may be in part due to changes in how insolvency practitioner firms operate.

DROs

After seasonal adjustment, the number of DROs increased by 13% in Q1 2023 compared with the previous quarter, and was 8% higher than in the same quarter last year. The number of DROs in Q1 2023 may be affected by the opening of new DRO hubs.

Bankruptcies

After seasonal adjustment, the number of bankruptcies registered in Q1 2023 increased by 7% from the previous quarter and by 4% from than the same quarter last year.

Bankruptcies consisted of:

• 1,449 debtors’ applications, which was 11% higher than Q4 2022 and 1% higher than Q1 2022,
• 323 creditors’ petitions, which was 15% higher than Q4 2022 and 23% higher than Q1 2022.

82% of bankruptcies resulted from debtor applications. This is lower than the proportion seen in previous quarters during the COVID-19 pandemic (approx 90%), but is similar to pre-pandemic values of 75-85%. The number of creditor petitions in Q1 2023 was the highest since the beginning of the pandemic, while debtors’ applications remained lower than 2021 levels.

Figure 2: Despite an increase compared to Q4 2022, bankruptcies in Q1 2023 made on both debtors’ and creditors’ applications remain historically low

England and Wales, Q1 2013 to Q1 2023, seasonally adjusted

Source: Insolvency Service

The long-term series back to Q1 1984 (where applicable) can be found in the CSV file that accompanies this release.

Breathing Space Registrations

There were 23,179 Breathing Space registrations in Q1 2023. This is 34% higher than in Q1 2022. Of the 23,179 Breathing Space registrations, 22,770 were Standard breathing space registrations and 409 were Mental Health breathing space registrations.

3.2 Rates of individual insolvency per 10,000 adults

In the four quarters ending Q1 2023, the individual insolvency rate was 24.5 per 10,000 adults in England and Wales (Table 2 and Figure 3 below). This corresponds to 1 in 408 adults having become insolvent in the 12 months ending 31 March 2023.

Insolvency rates are calculated as a proportion of the adult population, and are more comparable over longer time periods than the absolute numbers.

The rates presented for each quarter reflect a four quarter rolling rate per 10,000 adults. Therefore, the Q1 2023 rates, for example, were calculated using data covering the period Q2 2022 to Q1 2023.

Table 2: The rate of individual insolvencies in the 12 months ending Q1 2023 was higher than for the 12 months ending Q1 2022

England and Wales, four quarter rolling rate per 10,000 adults

	Total individual insolvencies	Bankruptcies	Debt relief orders	Individual voluntary arrangements
2022Q1	24.1	1.6	4.8	17.6
2022Q2	24.6	1.5	5.1	18.0
2022Q3	24.7	1.5	5.0	18.2
2022Q4	25.0	1.4	5.1	18.5
2023Q1	24.5	1.4	5.2	17.9
Change in rate per 10,000 adults, 12 months ending latest quarter (Q1 2023) compared with:
vs 2022Q4	-0.5	0.0	0.1	-0.7
vs 2022Q1	0.4	-0.2	0.4	0.2

Source: Insolvency Service

Change in rate numbers may not equal the difference in rates presented due to rounding.

The long-term series back to Q1 1984 (where applicable) can be found in the CSV file that accompanies this release.

In the four quarters ending Q1 2023:

• The IVA rate decreased by 0.7 in comparison to the 12 months ending Q4 2022, but increased by 0.2 from the 12 months to Q1 2022;
• the rate of bankruptcy was the similar to the 12 months to Q4 2022, and was 0.2 lower than the 12 months ending Q1 2022;
• the rate of DROs rose by 0.1 compared to the rate in the 12 months ending Q4 2022, and by 0.4 from the 12 months ending Q1 2022.

Figure 3: The individual insolvency rate increased in the 12 months to Q1 2023 in comparison to the 12 months to Q1 2022

England and Wales, four quarter rolling rate per 10,000 adults, not seasonally adjusted

Source: Insolvency Service

3.3 Bankruptcies by self-employment status

Bankruptcies by self-employment status are presented with a lag of one quarter on most other statistics in this release. This is because it can take several weeks for trading status to be recorded following the date of the bankruptcy order.

In Q4 2022, there were 293 bankruptcies (seasonally adjusted) where the individual was self-employed, this is 6% lower than Q3 2022 and 7% lower than the same period last year.

There were 1,288 bankruptcies among other individuals in Q4 2022, a decrease of 8% compared with the previous quarter and 14% lower than the same quarter of the previous year.

Both bankruptcies amongst the self-employed and other individuals remain historically low. Q4 2022 saw the lowest levels of bankruptcies in both groups since self-employment status was first recorded in 2003.

Figure 4: Bankruptcies amongst both the self-employed and other individuals in Q4 2022 were the lowest recorded in the time series.

England and Wales, Q4 2012 to Q4 2022, seasonally adjusted

Source: Insolvency Service

The long-term series back to Q1 1984 (where applicable) can be found in the CSV file that accompanies this release.

3.4 Self-employed/Trader bankruptcies by Industry (SIC 2007)

This section breaks down the self-employed bankruptcies (also referred to as ‘trader bankruptcies’) in the previous section by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC 2007) categories. Figures in this section are summed over four quarters to reduce the volatility associated with quarter-to-quarter changes. As noted in the previous section, data for Q1 2023 are not yet available.

The industries (in accordance with SIC 2007) that experienced the highest number of trader bankruptcies in 2022 were:

• Construction (352, which was 29% of trader bankruptcies);

• Other service activities (308, 25%);

• Transportation and storage (120, 10%);

• Wholesale and retail trade; repair of vehicles (108, 9%); and

• Accommodation and food service (99, 8%).

These five categories made up 81% of trader bankruptcies in 2022. They were also the most common categories in 2021, when they made up 79% of trader bankruptcies. The numbers of bankruptcies in four of the five most common categories were lower than in the previous year, reflecting the overall decline in trader bankruptcies over the past year. Trader bankruptcies in the accommodation and food service industry increased by 14%.

Note that the numbers of insolvencies in these categories are likely to be partly driven by the number of self-employed people trading in a given category and do not reflect the relative likelihood of traders in each industry entering insolvency.

Figure 5: Almost all industries saw fewer trader bankruptcies in 2022 than in 2021

England and Wales, Q1 2021 to Q4 2022, not seasonally adjusted

Source: Insolvency Service

4. Individual insolvency in Scotland

Legislation relating to individual insolvency in Scotland is devolved. The Accountant in Bankruptcy, Scotland’s Insolvency Service, administers individual insolvency in Scotland. The figures below are not seasonally adjusted.

In Q1 2023, there were 1,912 individual insolvencies in Scotland, similar to the same quarter of 2022. This comprised of 1,322 protected trust deeds and 590 bankruptcies (also known as sequestrations), of which 326 went into bankruptcy via the minimal asset process route. The rules regarding bankruptcy differ to those in England and Wales, so numbers of bankruptcies are not directly comparable.

Figure 6: Total individual insolvencies were similar in Q1 2023 to Q1 2022, but remained below pre-pandemic levels

Scotland, Q1 2013 to Q1 2023, not seasonally adjusted

Source: Accountant in Bankruptcy, Scotland

The long-term series back to Q1 1984 (where applicable) can be found in the CSV file that accompanies this release.

In April 2015, the Minimal Asset Process replaced LILA, and other changes affected bankruptcies, resulting in a large decrease during Q2 2015.

More detail can be found in the Accountant in Bankruptcy statistical release.

5. Individual insolvency in Northern Ireland

Individual insolvency in Northern Ireland is governed by separate, but broadly similar, legislation to England and Wales, and so figures are presented separately.

In Q1 2023 there were 410 individual insolvencies in Northern Ireland, 6% down on the same quarter of 2022. This comprised 321 IVAs, 58 DROs and 31 bankruptcies.

Figure 7: Total individual insolvencies were lower in Q1 2023 than in Q1 2022

Northern Ireland, Q1 2013 to Q1 2023, not seasonally adjusted

Source: Department for the Economy

The long-term series back to Q1 1984 (where applicable) can be found in the CSV file that accompanies this release.

6. Data and Methodology

6.1 Data Sources

Individual insolvency data for England and Wales were sourced from the Insolvency Service case information system (ISCIS), data for Scotland were sourced from the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB), and data for Northern Ireland from the Department for the Economy.

Breathing space data were sourced from the Breathing Space register, owned by HM Treasury (HMT), for which the Insolvency Service is a custodian.

Population estimates for persons over the age of 18, as published by the Office for National Statistics were used to calculate individual insolvency rates. For 2021 and 2022, for which population estimates were not yet available, the 2020-based population projections were used.

More information on the administrative systems used to compile insolvency statistics can be found in the Quarterly Statistics Methodology and Quality document.

6.2 Methodology and data quality

Detailed methodology and quality information for these statistics can be found in the accompanying Quarterly Statistics Methodology and Quality document.

The main quality and coverage issues to note:

1. Data for the latest quarter were extracted approximately five working days after quarter end. There is an increased likelihood that data on individual insolvencies may be revised in the future due to potential delays in data being entered onto Insolvency Service administration systems. Therefore, these statistics for the latest quarter are provisional and marked with a ‘[p]’.

2. Bankruptcy statistics by employment status, and industry breakdowns for those who were self-employed, are less timely than all other individual insolvency statistics, and are reported one quarter in arrears. This is because it can take several weeks for employment status to be recorded following the date of the bankruptcy order. Therefore, numbers for the latest quarter are not presented due to the known large undercount.

Seasonal adjustment

To aid comparison between quarters, underlying data for bankruptcies, DROs and IVAs in England and Wales were adjusted where there was evidence of seasonality to minimise the effect of the time of year and provide a true picture of the trends in insolvency. In previous releases DROs were not seasonally adjusted, however the April 2023 review detected seasonality in the series. Therefore, in this and subsequent releases, DRO numbers will be adjusted. Full details on the models used to adjust the data can be found in the Seasonal Adjustment Review published in April 2023.

The data series for Scotland and Northern Ireland do not demonstrate consistent seasonality and only the unadjusted series have been presented, as agreed with the appropriate officials in the devolved administrations.

The seasonal adjustment models for England and Wales are reviewed on an annual basis, in accordance with the Insolvency Service Official Statistics Revisions Policy.

Rates of insolvency in England and Wales

Insolvency rates were calculated by dividing the total number of individuals entering insolvency in the previous twelve months by the mean average number of persons aged 18 and over residing in England and Wales over the corresponding period.

6.3 Revisions

These statistics are subject to scheduled revisions, as set out in the published Revisions Policy. Other revisions tend to be made as a result of data being entered onto administrative systems after the cut-off date for data being extracted to produce the statistics. Any revisions to these statistics will be marked with an ‘[r]’ in the relevant table.

7. Glossary

7.1 Key terms used within this statistical bulletin

Term	Definition
Bankruptcy	A form of debt relief available for anyone who is unable to pay their debts. Assets owned will vest in a trustee in bankruptcy, who will sell them and distribute the proceeds to creditors. Discharge from debts usually takes place 12 months after the bankruptcy order is granted. Bankruptcies result from either Debtor application – where the individual is unable to pay their debts, and applies online to make themselves bankrupt, or Creditor petition – if a creditor is owed £5,000 or more, they can apply to the court to make an individual bankrupt. These statistics relate to petitions where a court order was made as a result, although not all petitions to court result in a bankruptcy order. In Scotland, bankruptcy is often referred to as sequestration. On 1 April 2008, Part 1 of the Bankruptcy and Diligence etc. (Scotland) Act 2007 came into force making significant changes to some aspects of sequestration (bankruptcy), debt relief and debt enforcement in Scotland. This included the introduction of the new route into bankruptcy for people with low income and low assets (LILA). On 1 April 2015, part of the Bankruptcy and Debt Advice (Scotland) Act came into force making significant changes, including the introduction of the Minimal Asset Process (MAP), which replaced the LILA route into sequestration; mandatory debt advice for people seeking statutory debt relief; a new online process for applying for sequestration; and an additional year for people to make contributions to repaying their debts (increasing from three years to four, in line with protected trust deeds).
Breathing Space	For individuals, the Breathing Space scheme, launched on 4 May 2021, gives people legal protections from their creditors for 60 days, with most interest and penalty charges frozen, and enforcement action halted. Because problem debt can be linked to mental health issues, these protections are also available for people in mental health crisis treatment – for the full duration of their crisis treatment plus another 30 days.
Debt Relief Order (DRO)	A form of debt relief available to those who have a low income, low assets and debt no more than a specified value. There is no distribution to creditors, and discharge from debts takes place 12 months after the DRO is granted. DROs were introduced in April 2009. A change in eligibility criteria was introduced from 29th June 2021 in which the upper limit of debt increased from £20,000 to £30,000. In addition, the threshold on the value of assets that a debtor can hold and be eligible to enter into a DRO increased from £1,000 to £2,000; the value of a single motor vehicle that can be disregarded from the total value of assets increased from £1,000 to £2,000; and the level of surplus income received by the debtor before payments should be made to creditors increased from £50 to £75 per month.
Deed of Arrangement	An alternative way for a debtor to deal with their affairs than entering into bankruptcy or an individual voluntary arrangement. Deeds of arrangement require the approval of a simple majority of creditors in number and value, and do not require a nominee, report to court or a meeting of creditors to be held.
Income payment orders (IPOs) and agreements (IPAs)	If a Bankrupt has a higher income than needed to pay for their reasonable day-to-day living expenses, the Trustee in Bankruptcy may ask them to make payments towards their Bankruptcy Estate for the benefit of creditors. The Trustee in Bankruptcy may ask a Bankrupt to enter into an Income Payments Agreement (IPA) and if the Bankrupt refuses to enter into an IPA, the Trustee in Bankruptcy can apply to the Court for an Income Payments Order (IPO).
Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA)	A voluntary means of repaying creditors some or all of what they are owed. Once approved by 75% or more of creditors, the arrangement is binding on all. IVAs are supervised by licensed Insolvency Practitioners.
Protected Trust Deeds	Protected trust deeds are voluntary arrangements in Scotland and fulfill much the same role as IVAs in England and Wales. However, there are differences in the way they are set up and administered, meaning the figures shown here are not consistent with those provided for England and Wales.
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC 2007)	Used in classifying business establishments and other statistical units by the type of economic activity in which they are engaged. Further information can be found on the ONS website.