Individual insolvencies, May 2025
Monthly tables and commentary on the numbers and rates of individual insolvencies, including bankruptcies, debt relief orders and individual voluntary arrangements in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and quarterly information for Scotland. For England and Wales, Breathing Space scheme statistics are also included.
Documents
Details
Main messages for England and Wales
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In May 2025, 10,014 individuals entered insolvency in England and Wales. This was similar to April 2025 and 5% higher than in May 2024.
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The individual insolvencies consisted of 648 bankruptcies, 3,783 debt relief orders (DROs) and 5,583 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs). DRO numbers in May 2025 remained similar to the record high levels seen over the past 12 months. IVA numbers in the first five months of 2025 were similar to the monthly average in 2024. Bankruptcy numbers were 4% higher than in May 2024, but remained at less than half of pre-2020 levels.
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In the 12 months ending 31 May 2025, one in 417 adults in England and Wales entered insolvency (at a rate of 24.0 per 10,000 adults). This is higher than the rate of 21.6 per 10,000 adults (one in 463) who entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 31 May 2024.
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There were 7,805 Breathing Space registrations in May 2025. This is 2% higher than in May 2024.