Company insolvency statistics - May 2025

The May 2025 company insolvency stats for England and Wales have been published by The Insolvency Service, together with related figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Company insolvency statistics for England and Wales – May 2025

After seasonal adjustment there were 2,238 company insolvencies in May 2025. This was 8% higher than in April 2025, but 15% higher than the number in May 2024.

In May 2025 there were:

1,734 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs)
354 compulsory liquidations
136 administrations
14 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs)
0 receiverships

CVLs

In May 2025, CVLs accounted for 77% of all company insolvencies. The number of CVLs was 11% higher than in April 2025 and 13% higher than May 2024, after seasonal adjustment.

Compulsory liquidations

The number of compulsory liquidations was 7% lower than the 10-year high seen in April 2025, but 32% higher than in May 2024.

Administrations

The number of administrations was 28% higher than in April 2025 and 12% higher than in May 2024.

CVAs

The number of CVAs was 42% lower than in April 2025 and 26% lower than in May 2024. However, numbers remain low compared to historical levels. CVAs are not seasonally adjusted due to low volumes.

Receivership appointments

There were no receivership appointments in May 2025. Receivership appointments are now rare with only four in the past 12 months ending May 2025.

Insolvency rate statistics for England and Wales – May 2025

The company liquidation rate in the 12 months to May 2025 was 53.0 per 10,000 companies on the effective register in England and Wales. This corresponds to 1 in 189 companies entering insolvency.

Company insolvencies by industry in England and Wales – May 2024

The three industries (in accordance with SIC 2007) that experienced the highest number of insolvencies in the 12 months to May 2025 were:

construction (4,032 insolvencies, 17% of cases with industry captured)
wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (3,615 insolvencies, 15% of cases with industry captured)
accommodation and food service activities (3,369 insolvencies, 14% of cases with industry captured)

Company insolvency statistics for Scotland – May 2025

The Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB), Scotland’s Insolvency Service, administers company insolvency in Scotland.

In May 2025 there were 133 company insolvencies, which was 13% higher than the number in May 2024. Of the total company insolvencies in Scotland, there were:

56 CVLs
72 compulsory liquidations
5 administrations
0 receivership appointments
0 CVAs

Historically, compulsory liquidations were the most common type of company insolvency in Scotland. However, since May 2020, numbers of CVLs have remained higher than numbers of compulsory liquidations.

Company insolvency statistics for Northern Ireland – May 2025

In May 2025 there were 53 company insolvencies in Northern Ireland, 20% higher than in May 2024. Of the total company insolvencies, there were:

33 compulsory liquidations
13 CVLs
1 CVA
6 administrations
0 receivership appointments

Please note, the figures for Northern Ireland are not seasonally-adjusted.

Where can I see insolvency notices in The Gazette?

The Gazette is the primary source of both corporate insolvency and personal insolvency information in the UK and publishes this information in the form of insolvency notices, allowing transparency for the public, the credit industry and concerned individuals to quantify risk and inform creditors. You can view all corporate and personal insolvency notices on The Gazette website.

The Gazette also provides a Data Service which provides timely official company, insolvency and deceased estates information to aid data driven decision-making. As the UK’s official public record, our authorised data can help your business with:

KYC/due diligence
risk management
regulatory compliance
business development
business intelligence and strategy

For more information on The Gazette Data Service, contact the team on 01603 985949, email data@thegazette.co.uk or click on the link below.

Enquire now

Next insolvency statistics release

Figures for June 2025 will be released on 18 July 2025.

Find out more

Company Insolvency Statistics May 2025 (GOV.UK)

The Insolvency Service (GOV.UK)

Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB)

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Publication date

25 June 2025