UK company insolvency statistics
The key figures on UK company insolvency and business distress, each with its official source and release date so you can check and cite it. There were 1,882 company insolvencies in England and Wales in September 2026, and over the 12 months to September 2026 about 1 in 200 companies entered insolvency. Creditors voluntary liquidations, where directors choose to close an insolvent company, make up most cases. For the monthly detail see the UK company insolvency tracker; for the full-year split see insolvencies by type; for everything else see our data pages. Insolvency Service, gov.uk
| Statistic | Figure | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Company insolvencies, England and Wales | 1,882 | September 2026. Insolvency Service, published 20 October 2026 |
| Insolvency rate, England and Wales | 49.9 per 10,000 companies (1 in 200) | 12 months to September 2026. Insolvency Service, published 20 October 2026 |
| Creditors voluntary liquidations as a share of all cases | 75% | September 2026. Insolvency Service, published 20 October 2026 |
| Company insolvencies in 2025, England and Wales | 23,938 | 2025. Insolvency Service, published 20 January 2026 |
| Company insolvencies in 2023, the highest annual total since 1993 | 25,164 | 2023. Insolvency Service, as revised in the release published 20 January 2026 |
| Insolvencies in construction, the most of any industry | 3,873 (17% of cases with industry captured) | 12 months to September 2026. Insolvency Service, published 20 October 2026 |
| Tax debt owed to HMRC (all taxpayers) | £43.8 billion (£44.7 billion counting personal tax credit debt) | 31 March 2026. HMRC annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026. More on the HMRC tax debt page |
| HMRC tax debt that may go into formal insolvency | £3.7 billion | 31 March 2026. HMRC annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026, accounts and annexes |
| What HMRC gets back once a debt is in formal insolvency | 5p in the pound on average (£293 million received in the year) | 2025 to 2026. HMRC annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026, accounts and annexes |
| HMRC customers in a Time to Pay arrangement (all taxpayers, not only companies) | 874,180 | First quarter of 2026 to 2027. HMRC performance data 2026 to 2027, August |
| Private limited companies in liquidation with a charge on record | 33.2% (35,096 of 105,726) | Companies House register at 1 November 2026, private limited companies only, status "Liquidation". Our analysis of the Companies House register of charges (method) |
| Private limited companies with the status In Administration with a charge on record | 85.8% (3,070 of 3,577) | Companies House register at 1 November 2026, private limited companies only, status "In Administration" alone. Our analysis of the Companies House register of charges (method) |
| Pubs closed for good, England, Scotland and Wales | 295 | January to September 2026. BBPA, published 12 October 2026 |
| Insolvency rate by business age, England and Wales | Highest: 7 to 10 years old, 170 per 10,000. Lowest: under 2 years old, 37 per 10,000 | 2025. Insolvency Service, business insolvency demography 2015 to 2025. See is my company in trouble? |
| Insolvency rate by number of staff, England and Wales | Highest: 20 to 49 staff, 269 per 10,000. Lowest: 0 or 1 staff, 82 per 10,000 | 2025. Insolvency Service, business insolvency demography 2015 to 2025 |
| Companies that used the 2020 rescue tools | 86 moratoriums and 64 restructuring plans | 26 June 2020 to 30 September 2026, registered at Companies House. Insolvency Service, company insolvency statistics September 2026 |
| Businesses closed in the UK, for any reason | 63,035, 1.1% fewer than a year earlier | July to September 2026. ONS, business demography, quarterly (official statistics in development). See company closure |
| Companies struck off the UK register | 53,480: 29,034 on their own application, 21,832 by Companies House, 2,614 after liquidation | September 2026. Companies House, incorporated companies in the UK, July to September 2026 |
| Director disqualifications, Great Britain | 1,158, with an average length of 8.1 years | 2025/26. Insolvency Service enforcement outcomes 2025/26 |
| Section 6 disqualifications linked to COVID-19 support scheme abuse allegations, Great Britain | 773 of 1,044 | 2025/26. Insolvency Service enforcement outcomes 2025/26 |
| Civil investigations into abusive phoenix companies completed | 148. Results: 18 companies shut down, 87 directors disqualified, 5 directors convicted | 2025 to 2026. Insolvency Service annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026 |
| Redundancy payments processed for staff of insolvent employers | 70,633 | 2025 to 2026. Insolvency Service. See what happens to employees when a company closes |
| Average time to process a redundancy payment claim | 11.1 days (11.2 days the year before) | 2025 to 2026. Insolvency Service annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026 |
| Winding-up petitions published in The Gazette | 100 | 6 November 2026 (the last 7 days). The Gazette, latest fetch 6 November 2026 |
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Deeper tables
For one dated summary of the 2025 figures, see state of UK company insolvency: 2025 in figures.
LTD Turnaround, UK Company Insolvency Statistics, https://ltdturnaround.co.uk/statistics/. Figures compiled from the Insolvency Service, HMRC, the Office for National Statistics, Companies House, the British Beer and Pub Association, The Gazette and our analysis of the Companies House register of charges; the period and release date for each figure are shown in the table.
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