Monthly insolvency statistics – January 2026

Corporate Insolvencies

England and Wales

Corporate insolvencies in January 2026 totalled 1,744, 14% lower than January 2025 but 4% higher than in December 2025.

Creditors Voluntary Liquidations (“CVLs”) totalled 1,323, 17% lower than January 2025.

Compulsory Liquidations (“WUCs”) totalled 256, 12% lower than January 2025.

There were 151 Administration appointments which was 14% higher than January 2025.

There were 13 Company Voluntary Arrangements (“CVA”s) in January 2026, 7% lower than January 2025.

Scotland

There were 74 company insolvencies registered In January 2026, 1% lower than January 2025. There were 32 Compulsory Liquidations and 42 CVLs. There were no Administrations, Receiverships or CVA appointments.

Northern Ireland

In January 2026 there were 21 company insolvencies registered in Northern Ireland, 25% lower than January 2025. This is comprised of nine CVLs, nine Compulsory Liquidations, two Administrations and one CVA. There were no receiverships.

Personal Insolvencies

England and Wales

Over the longer term, the share of bankruptcies has declined, falling from 17% in 2016 as IVAs and DROs increased.

10,843 individual insolvencies were registered in England and Wales—12% higher than January 2025 but 20% lower than December 2025, when figures were inflated by a temporary IVA backlog.

Overall, there were 780 bankruptcies, 3,847 DROs, and 6,216 IVAs. DROs were lower than December 2025 but remained at historically high levels, while IVAs were slightly above the 2025 monthly average.

In January 2026, 3,847 DROs were made being 6% lower than in December 2025.

Bankruptcies increased month on month over the last 3 months, partly due to the clearing of a backlog following the Insolvency Service’s system change. The number of bankruptcies in January 2026 was 780, which was 24% higher than in December 2025 and 30% higher than in January 2025. Of the 780 bankruptcies recorded, 82% resulted from debtors’ applications.

The 6,216 IVAs registered in January 2026 was 29% lower than in December 2025, but 18% higher than in January 2025. The number of IVAs in December was affected by a temporary backlog of IVAs that were agreed in November but not registered until December. 

There were 5,008 Breathing Space registrations in January 2026, down 39% on January 2025, following tighter eligibility criteria introduced by the largest money adviser provider. Of the registrations, 4,900 were Standard applications and 108 Mental Health Breathing Space registrations.

In summary, insolvency trends in January 2026 remained broadly stable, with short term fluctuations driven by operational changes rather than shifts in long term patterns.

Scotland

The Accountant in Bankruptcy produces individual insolvency statistics on a quarterly basis. Therefore, the numbers in this section are only updated once every 3 months.

The quarters referred to are calendar year quarters, such that Q4 2025 covers the period 1 October to 31 December 2025. In Q4 2025, there were 1,896 individual insolvencies in Scotland, which was 6% higher than in the same quarter of 2024.

The individual insolvencies were comprised of 1,122 protected trust deeds and 774 bankruptcies (also known as sequestrations), of which 431 went into bankruptcy via the minimal asset process route. The rules regarding bankruptcy differ to those in England and Wales, so numbers of bankruptcies are not directly comparable.

Northern Ireland

In January 2026, there were 118 individual insolvencies in Northern Ireland. This was 16% lower than in January 2025. There were 85 IVAs, 19 DROs and 14 bankruptcies.