Research
UK personal insolvency statistics
England and Wales record well over 120,000+ individual insolvencies in a typical recent year, with IVAs accounting for roughly ~65% of formal personal insolvencies. This research page summarises how to read official Insolvency Service releases and what the headline mixes of IVAs, bankruptcies and DROs usually mean for the public.
In England and Wales, personal insolvency solutions include IVAs, bankruptcy and Debt Relief Orders. Different rules apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Reviewed: 1 March 2026 by Editorial Team
Headline figures we cite
- 120,000+ individual insolvencies per year (rounded) — checked 2026-03-01.
- About ~65% are IVAs — Most common formal solution.
- Typical bankruptcy discharge: 12 months.
Frequently asked questions
- Where do these figures come from?
- Headline figures cite the Insolvency Service official statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/insolvency-service-official-statistics).
- Do Scottish figures use the same series?
- No. Scotland publishes via the Accountant in Bankruptcy and should be compared carefully against England and Wales totals.
- How often are stats updated?
- The Insolvency Service publishes quarterly and annual releases. We re-check cited figures when regenerating research pages.
- Are local city counts exact?
- City pages will show local-authority aligned counts once monthly ETL is live. Until then, treat city figures as indicative staging data.
- Can I reuse this analysis?
- Yes, with attribution to The Insolvency Directory and a link to the primary Insolvency Service source.
Primary source: The Insolvency Service (GOV.UK)