Main messages for England and Wales

• The number of registered company insolvencies in England and Wales was 1,992 in March 2025, 2% lower than in February 2025 (2,032) but 9% higher than the same month in the previous year (1,826 in March 2024). Company insolvencies over the past 12 months have been slightly lower than in 2023, which saw a 30-year high annual number, but have remained high relative to historical levels.

• Company insolvencies in March 2025 consisted of 295 compulsory liquidations, 1,543 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), 137 administrations and 17 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs). There were no receivership appointments. The number of compulsory liquidations was 24% lower than the 10-year high seen in February 2025, but remained higher than both March 2024 and the 2024 monthly average. The number of CVLs in March 2025 was similar to both February 2025 and the 2024 monthly average. Administrations and CVAs were higher than in February 2025.

• One in 188 companies on the Companies House effective register (at a rate of 53.1 per 10,000 companies) entered insolvency between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. This was a decrease from the 55.8 per 10,000 companies that entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 31 March 2024. Insolvency rates are calculated on a 12-month rolling basis as a proportion of the total number of companies on the effective register. The 12-month rolling rates show longer term trends and reduce the volatility associated with estimates based on single months.

• While the insolvency rate has increased since the lows seen in 2020 and 2021, it remains much lower than the peak of 113.1 per 10,000 companies seen during the 2008-09 recession. This is because the number of companies on the effective register has more than doubled over this period.

• The number of registered company insolvencies in England and Wales was 2,048 in August 2025, 2% lower than in July 2025 (2,083) and 6% higher than the same month in the previous year (1,933 in August 2024). Monthly company insolvency numbers in the first eight months of 2025 were slightly higher than in 2024 and at a similar level to 2023, which saw a 30-year high annual number of insolvencies.
• Company insolvencies in August 2025 consisted of 311 compulsory liquidations, 1,600 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), 121 administrations and 16 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs). There were no receivership appointments. The number of compulsory liquidations was 9% lower than in July 2025 and was also lower than the 2025 monthly average to date, although higher than monthly numbers in 2024. The number of CVLs in August 2025 was similar to both July 2025 and the 2024 monthly average. Administrations were lower than in July 2025, while CVAs were higher.
• One in 190 companies on the Companies House effective register (at a rate of 52.6 per 10,000 companies) entered insolvency between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025. This was a decrease from the 55.5 per 10,000 companies that entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 31 August 2024. Insolvency rates are calculated on a 12-month rolling basis as a proportion of the total number of companies on the effective register. The 12-month rolling rates show longer term trends and reduce the volatility associated with estimates based on single months.
• While the insolvency rate has increased since the lows seen in 2020 and 2021, it remains much lower than the peak of 113.1 per 10,000 companies seen during the 2008-09 recession. This is because the number of companies on the effective register has more than doubled over this period.

• The number of registered company insolvencies in England and Wales was 2,081 in July 2025, similar to both June 2025 (2,053) and the same month in the previous year (2,078 in July 2024). Monthly company insolvency numbers in the first seven months of 2025 were higher than the second half of 2024, but remained slightly lower than the 30-year annual high seen in 2023.

• Company insolvencies in July 2025 consisted of 339 compulsory liquidations, 1,583 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), 147 administrations and 12 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs). There were no receivership appointments. The number of compulsory liquidations was slightly higher than in June 2025 and remained higher than both July 2024 and the 2024 monthly average. The number of CVLs in July 2025 was similar to both June 2025 and the average numbers seen over the last 18 months. Administrations were higher than in June 2025, while CVAs were lower.

• One in 190 companies on the Companies House effective register (at a rate of 52.5 per 10,000 companies) entered insolvency between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025. This was a decrease from the 56.6 per 10,000 companies that entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 31 July 2024. Insolvency rates are calculated on a 12-month rolling basis as a proportion of the total number of companies on the effective register. The 12-month rolling rates show longer term trends and reduce the volatility associated with estimates based on single months.

• While the insolvency rate has increased since the lows seen in 2020 and 2021, it remains much lower than the peak of 113.1 per 10,000 companies seen during the 2008-09 recession. This is because the number of companies on the effective register has more than doubled over this period.

Correction notice

Following publication of the accompanying tables at 9:30am on 29th January it was identified that some of the underlying company insolvency numbers were incorrect. The errors were a result of a processing error and affected some of the numbers in Tables 1c, 1d and 3b. The errors were corrected and the tables were re-published at midday on 29th January. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Release Information

This statistics release contains the latest data on company insolvency (companies which are unable to pay debts and enter liquidation, or enter administration or other company rescue process) .

Statistics are presented separately for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland because of differences in legislation and policy.

Main messages

Company Insolvencies in Q4 2020

Overall numbers of company insolvencies in England and Wales increased in comparison to Q3 2020, yet they were lower than during the same period in the previous year.

The rise in comparison to Q3 2020 was driven by an increase in creditors’ voluntary liquidations.

There were fewer compulsory liquidations and administrations during Q4 than Q3, while company voluntary arrangements increased but remained low.

All insolvency procedures, except company voluntary arrangements, were lower in Q4 2020 than during the same period last year.

Company insolvencies in 2020

Total company insolvencies decreased in 2020 to the lowest annual level since 2007.

This was mainly driven by a drop in creditors’ voluntary liquidations, which dropped to their lowest level since 2007.

Numbers of all other company insolvency procedures fell in 2020, except administrative receivership appointments, which remain low.

The reduction in company insolvencies in 2020 compared with 2019 was likely to be partly driven by Government measures put in place in response to the coronavirus (COVID 19).

Main messages for England and Wales

• After seasonal adjustment, the number of registered company insolvencies in England and Wales was 1,966 in November 2024, 13% higher than in October 2024 (1,743) and 12% lower than the same month in the previous year (2,243 in November 2023). The number of company insolvencies remained much higher than those seen both during the COVID-19 pandemic and between 2014 and 2019.

• Company insolvencies in November 2024 consisted of 254 compulsory liquidations, 1,565 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), 132 administrations, 14 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs) and one receivership appointment. All types of company insolvency except for receivership appointments (which are rare) were higher than in October 2024.

• One in 189 companies on the Companies House effective register (at a rate of 52.9 per 10,000 companies) entered insolvency between 1 December 2023 and 30 November 2024. This was a decrease from the 57.3 per 10,000 companies that entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 30 November 2023. Insolvency rates are calculated on a 12-month rolling basis as a proportion of the total number of companies on the effective register. The 12-month rolling rates show longer term trends and reduce the volatility associated with estimates based on single months.

• While the insolvency rate has increased since the lows seen in 2020 and 2021, it remains much lower than the peak of 113.1 per 10,000 companies seen during the 2008-09 recession. This is because the number of companies on the effective register has more than doubled over this period.

• One in 386 active companies (at a rate of 25.9 per 10,000 active companies) entered liquidation between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021. This is a decrease from the 36.9 per 10,000 active companies that entered liquidation in the 12 months ending 30 June 2020.
• During Q2 2021, there were 3,116 (seasonally adjusted) registered company insolvencies, comprising 2,819 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), 102 compulsory liquidations, 169 administrations, 25 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs), and one receivership appointment.
• After seasonal adjustment, the number of company insolvencies was 31% higher than in Q1 2021 and 4% higher than in Q2 2020. This was driven by an increase in CVLs, while all other company insolvency procedures were lower than the previous quarter and the same quarter of the previous year.

• One in 396 active companies (at a rate of 25.3 per 10,000 active companies) entered liquidation between 1st April 2020 and 31st March 2021. This is a decrease from the 40.5 per 10,000 active companies that entered liquidation in the 12 months ending 31st March 2020.
• During Q1 2021, there were 2,384 (seasonally adjusted) registered company insolvencies, comprising 2,047 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), 108 compulsory liquidations, 192 administrations and 37 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs). There were no receivership appointments.
• After seasonal adjustment, the number of company insolvencies was 22% lower than in Q4 2020 and 38% lower than in Q1 2020. This was driven by a drop in all company insolvency procedures.

• Between 1 April and 30 June 2022 (Q2 2022), there were 5,629 (seasonally adjusted) registered company insolvencies, comprising 4,908 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), 368 compulsory liquidations, 320 administrations, 32 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs) and one receivership appointment.

• After seasonal adjustment, the number of company insolvencies in Q2 2022 was 13% higher than in Q1 2022 and 81% higher than in Q2 2021. The number of CVLs increased to the highest quarterly level since the start of the series in 1960. The number of compulsory liquidations also increased, but remained lower than levels seen before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

• One in 228 active companies (at a rate of 43.9 per 10,000 active companies) entered liquidation between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022. This was an increase from the 26.1 per 10,000 active companies that entered liquidation in the 12 months ending 30 June 2021.

The accompanying file contains the underlying data for the Company Insolvency Statistics April 2024. It matches the record-level data provided alongside this publication, but also contains data for 2012 and 2013. It is based on data from Insolvency Service administrative systems for compulsory liquidations in England and Wales, and on Companies House data for all other insolvencies. In addition to the dataset, there is a metadata file to explain what each column contains. This data is provided for statistical purposes only. We can not guarantee that it is free from error and therefore should not be used to determine whether a particular company is insolvent.

• After seasonal adjustment, the number of company insolvencies was 17% higher than in Q2 2021 and 43% higher than in Q3 2020. This was driven by an increase in CVLs to the highest quarterly level since Q2 2009, while numbers for all other company insolvency procedures were similar to the previous quarter and lower than in the same quarter of the previous year.
• One in 341 active companies (at a rate of 29.3 per 10,000 active companies) entered liquidation between 1 October 2020 and 30 September 2021. This was a decrease from the 32.4 per 10,000 active companies that entered liquidation in the 12 months ending 30 September 2020.
• During Q3 2021, there were 3,765 (seasonally adjusted) registered company insolvencies, as shown in Figure 1, comprising 3,471 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), 105 compulsory liquidations, 169 administrations, and 20 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs). There were no receivership appointments.

Annual 2021

• One in 304 active companies (at a rate of 32.9 per 10,000 active companies) entered liquidation in 2021. This was an increase from the 29.4 per 10,000 active companies that entered liquidation in 2020, but remained lower than the 41.9 per 10,000 in 2019.

• The total number of company insolvencies registered in 2021 was 14,048, which was higher than the 12,634 in 2020, but remained below pre-pandemic levels.

• The increase compared to 2020 was driven by the highest annual number of Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidations (CVLs) since 2009. However, the number of CVLs in 2021 was only slightly higher than in 2019 and was consistent with the increasing trend in CVL numbers before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

• All other types of company insolvencies were lower than both 2020 and pre-pandemic levels. The annual number of compulsory liquidations was the lowest since the start of the series in 1960.

• Increases in insolvencies were seen across most industries in 2021 compared to 2020. Several sectors showed increases above the overall annual increase of 11%, including Professional, scientific and technical activities (up 35%) and Construction (up 25%).

Quarterly Q4 2021

• Between 1 October and 31 December (Q4) 2021, there were 4,627 (seasonally adjusted) registered company insolvencies, as shown in Figure 1, comprised of 4,175 creditors’ voluntary liquidations, 147 compulsory liquidations, 272 administrations, and 33 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs). There were no receivership appointments.

• In Q4 2021, after seasonal adjustment, the number of company insolvencies was 18% higher than in Q3 2021 and 51% higher than in Q4 2020. This was driven by an increase in CVLs to the highest quarterly level since the series began in 1960. The increase in CVLs in the second half of 2021 coincided with the phasing out of measures put in place to support businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.

• Numbers for other company insolvency procedures registered in Q4 2021 were higher than the previous quarter (Q3 2021) but remained low compared to pre-pandemic levels.