The August 2026 individual insolvency stats opens new window for England and Wales have been published by The Insolvency Service, together with related figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Individual insolvency statistics for England and Wales – August 2026
In August 2026, 11,644 individuals entered insolvency in England & Wales. This was 2% lower than in July 2026 but 3% higher than in August 2025.
The total amount of individual insolvencies consisted of:
- 7,039 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs)
- 3,880 debt relief orders (DROs)
- 725 bankruptcies
IVAs
The number of IVAs was 4% lower than in July 2026 but 8% higher than August 2025 after seasonal adjustment.
IVA numbers in the first eight months of 2026 were 14% higher than the 2025 monthly average.
DROs
The number of DROs in August 2026 was similar to July 2026 but 8% higher than August 2025.
Monthly numbers over the past two years have been higher than at any other point since their introduction.
Bankruptcies
The number of bankruptcies in August 2026 was 5% higher than in July 2026 and 14% higher than August 2025.
Bankruptcies in August 2026 consisted of:
- 564 resulting from debtors’ applications, which was 4% higher than in July 2026 and 17% higher than August 2025.
- 161 resulting from creditors’ petitions, which was 5% higher than in July 2026 and 7% higher than in August 2025.
Individual insolvency statistics for Scotland – Q2 2026
The Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB), Scotland’s Insolvency Service, administers individual insolvency in Scotland. The AiB produces individual insolvency statistics on a quarterly basis. Therefore, the numbers in this section are updated once every three months only.
In Q2 2026, there were 2,181 individual insolvencies in Scotland, which was 13% higher than in the same quarter of 2025. The individual insolvencies were comprised of:
- 1,332 protected trust deeds
- 849 sequestrations (of which 482 went into bankruptcy via the minimal asset process route)
Individual insolvency statistics for Northern Ireland – August 2026
In Northern Ireland in August 2026, there were 140 individual insolvencies, which was 4% higher than in August 2025. Of the total individual insolvencies, there were:
- 117 IVAs
- 7 bankruptcies
- 16 DROs
Please note, individual insolvency in Northern Ireland is governed by separate, but broadly similar, legislation to England and Wales, and so figures are presented separately.
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.
Next insolvency statistics release
Figures for September 2026 will be released on 20 October 2026.
You can see all personal insolvency notices in The Gazette.
See also
Company insolvency statistics – August 2026
Individual insolvency statistics - July 2026
Find out more
Individual Insolvency Statistics August 2026 opens new window (GOV.UK)
The Insolvency Service opens new window (GOV.UK)
Accountant in Bankruptcy opens new window (AiB)
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Publication date
18 August 2026