The May 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 – May 2026
In May 2026, 11,223 individuals entered insolvency in England & Wales. This was similar to April 2026, but 10% higher than in May 2025.
The total amount of individual insolvencies consisted of:
- 6,376 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs)
- 4,191 debt relief orders (DROs)
- 656 bankruptcies
IVAs
The number of IVAs was 3% higher than in April 2026 and 12% higher than May 2025 after seasonal adjustment.
DROs
The number of DROs in May 2026 was 4% higher than in April 2026, but lower than the record high number registered in March 2026.
Monthly numbers over the past two years have been higher than at any other point since their introduction, following the removal of a fee for entering a DRO in May 2024.
Bankruptcies
The number of bankruptcies in May 2026 was 12% lower than in April 2026, but similar to levels in May 2025.
Bankruptcies in May 2026 consisted of:
- 516 resulting from debtors’ applications, which was 15% lower than in April 2026, but 6% higher than May 2025.
- 140 resulting from creditors’ petitions, which was 1% lower than in April 2026 and 20% lower than in May 2025.
Individual insolvency statistics for Scotland – Q1 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 Q1 2026, there were 2,003 individual insolvencies in Scotland, which was 20% higher than in the same quarter of 2025. The individual insolvencies were comprised of:
- 1,273 protected trust deeds
- 730 sequestrations (of which 381 went into bankruptcy via the minimal asset process route)
Individual insolvency statistics for Northern Ireland – May 2026
In Northern Ireland in May 2026, there were 140 individual insolvencies, which was 37% higher than in May 2025. Of the total individual insolvencies, there were:
- 99 IVAs
- 20 bankruptcies
- 21 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 June 2025 will be released on 17 July 2026.
You can see all personal insolvency notices in The Gazette.
See also
Company insolvency statistics – May 2026
Individual insolvency statistics - April 2026
Find out more
Individual Insolvency Statistics May 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
23 June 2026