Bankruptcy Statistics UK

Last updated: 30 October 2026 · Latest data: September 2026 · Compiled by IVA Advice Online from Insolvency Service official statistics

Bankruptcy is a form of insolvency for people who can't pay their debts. Your assets can be sold to pay creditors, and most remaining debts are usually written off after a year. This page tracks how many people are made bankrupt in England and Wales each month and each year since 1984, whether they applied themselves or were taken to court by a creditor, who goes bankrupt, and headline figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Monthly bankruptcies

Source: Insolvency Service, individual insolvency statistics, September 2026, Tables 1a and 3b.¹ Figures are provisional and can be revised.

• There were 687 bankruptcies in September 2026, compared with 692 in September 2025.¹
• Over the 12 months to September 2026 there were 8,458 bankruptcies, about 705 a month.¹
• January and February 2026 had 870 and 861 bankruptcies, the highest monthly totals since March 2021.¹

Bankruptcies since 1984

Bankruptcies rose sharply in the early 1990s recession and again in the 2000s, peaking at 75,015 in 2009. They then fell for more than a decade, to a low of 6,683 in 2022, the lowest year in the series. Since then they have stayed at around 7,500 a year.^1,2

Sources: Insolvency Service, Tables 1b, 2 and 3b and long-run series (2000 onwards)¹; 1984 to 1999 from the long-run series published with the October to December 2023 statistics.² The debtor/creditor split is available from 1998 and rates from 2000. *Rate for the 12 months to September 2026.

Debtor applications vs creditor petitions

Most people who go bankrupt apply themselves. Since 6 April 2016 this is done online, through an adjudicator rather than a court. The rest are made bankrupt after a creditor petitions the court.¹

• In 2025, 5,534 bankruptcies were debtor applications and 1,962 (26%) followed a creditor petition.¹
• Creditor petitions fell to 1,112 in 2021 (13% of bankruptcies) and have risen each year since. There were 1,443 from January to September 2026.¹
• Debtor applications have fallen from 63,836 in 2009 to 5,534 in 2025.¹

Bankruptcy by age and gender

Source: Insolvency Service, individual insolvencies by age and gender, England and Wales, 2015 to 2025, Tables 2a and 2b.³ 2025 figures are provisional.

• People aged 45-54 had the highest bankruptcy rate in 2025, at 2.8 per 10,000 adults, against 1.5 for all ages.³
• Men had a bankruptcy rate of 2.0 per 10,000 in 2025, compared with 0.9 for women. For DROs and IVAs the pattern is reversed, with higher rates for women.³
• The overall rate fell from 3.5 in 2015 to 1.5 in 2025.³

See insolvency by age and gender for IVAs and DROs, and the UK insolvency map for local areas.

Self-employed bankruptcies

In 2025, 1,159 bankruptcies (15%) were of self-employed people or traders, down from 3,833 in 2016. The employment status of 1,494 people was not known, so the true number may be higher.¹

Source: Insolvency Service, Table 4b.¹ Self-employed includes traders, trading partnerships and company directors. The number of "unknown" cases has risen, so comparisons over time may be unreliable.

Bankruptcy restrictions orders and undertakings

If the Official Receiver finds that someone behaved dishonestly or recklessly before or during their bankruptcy, the restrictions that normally last a year can be extended for 2 to 15 years. This is done through a bankruptcy restrictions order (made by a court) or an undertaking (agreed by the person). A debt relief restrictions order or undertaking works the same way for DROs.⁵

Source: Insolvency Service, enforcement outcomes management information, Table 3, updated 19 October 2026.⁴ These are management information, not official statistics, and may be revised. Bankruptcy and debt relief restrictions are only published combined, because debt relief restrictions are few.

So only about 1 in every 81 bankruptcies leads to extra restrictions (IVA Advice Online calculation comparing 2025/26 restrictions with 2025 bankruptcies). In 2025/26, 55 of the 93 cases involved allegations of abusing COVID-19 financial support schemes.⁴

Bankruptcy across the UK

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own bankruptcy laws, so their figures are not directly comparable with England and Wales.¹ In Scotland bankruptcy is called sequestration.

Source: Insolvency Service, Tables 1b, 8 and 9.¹ Scotland figures come from the Accountant in Bankruptcy and are published quarterly; Northern Ireland figures come from the Department for the Economy.

• Scotland: 2,839 bankruptcies in 2025, of which 1,518 used the Minimal Asset Process (MAP), a simpler route for people with low income and few assets. In January to June 2026 there were 1,579, compared with 1,330 a year earlier.¹ See our Scotland debt statistics.
• Northern Ireland: 195 bankruptcies in 2025, and 174 from January to September 2026 (130 a year earlier).¹

How bankruptcy works

When you're made bankrupt, a trustee (the Official Receiver or an insolvency practitioner) may sell things you own to pay your creditors. This can include your home if you have equity in it. You're usually discharged after 12 months, and released from most of your debts. If you can afford it, you may have to make payments from your spare income for up to 3 years.⁶ Our guides cover bankruptcy in more detail, bankruptcy explained, how it compares with an IVA in is an IVA better than bankruptcy?, and switching from an IVA to bankruptcy. For people with lower debts and few assets, see debt relief order statistics.

Common questions

How many people go bankrupt each year in the UK?

In 2025, 7,496 people were made bankrupt in England and Wales, 2,839 in Scotland and 195 in Northern Ireland, about 10,530 across the UK (IVA Advice Online calculation; the rules differ in each nation). Sources: Insolvency Service, Accountant in Bankruptcy, Department for the Economy NI.

Are bankruptcies going up?

Yes, from a low base. There were 6,775 bankruptcies in England and Wales from January to September 2026, 17% more than in the same months of 2025. But numbers are far below the 75,015 in 2009, the highest year in figures going back to 1984.

Why have bankruptcies fallen so much since 2009?

Bankruptcies fell from 75,015 in 2009 to 6,683 in 2022, the lowest year since at least 1984. Other types of insolvency, mainly IVAs and debt relief orders, now make up most cases: bankruptcies were 6% of individual insolvencies in 2025, compared with 56% in 2009 (IVA Advice Online calculation from Insolvency Service figures).

How many bankruptcies are started by creditors?

In 2025, 1,962 bankruptcies (26%) followed a creditor's petition to court. The other 5,534 were debtor applications, made online by the person themselves. The creditor share has risen from 13% in 2021. Source: Insolvency Service.

Which age group is most likely to go bankrupt?

In 2025, people aged 45-54 had the highest bankruptcy rate in England and Wales, at 2.8 per 10,000 adults. Men were more likely than women to be made bankrupt (2.0 vs 0.9 per 10,000). Source: Insolvency Service.

What is a bankruptcy restrictions order?

If the Official Receiver finds a bankrupt person acted dishonestly or recklessly, restrictions such as limits on borrowing can be extended for between 2 and 15 years, through a court order or an undertaking the person agrees to. The Insolvency Service recorded 93 bankruptcy and debt relief restrictions in 2025/26, lasting 8.1 years on average.

Using these statistics

Sources

1. Insolvency Service, Individual insolvency statistics: September 2026, published 20 October 2026. Tables 1a, 1b, 2, 3b, 4b, 8 (Scotland, source: Accountant in Bankruptcy) and 9 (Northern Ireland, source: Department for the Economy), and the accompanying long-run series (CSV), monthly from January 2000.
2. Insolvency Service, Individual insolvency statistics: October to December 2023, long-run series (CSV), quarterly from 1984 (used for 1984 to 1999 only).
3. Insolvency Service, Individual insolvencies by location, age and gender, England and Wales, 2025, age and gender data tables, published 27 March 2026. Tables 2a and 2b.
4. Insolvency Service, Insolvency Service enforcement outcomes management information, 2023-24 to 2026-27, Table 3, updated 19 October 2026.
5. Insolvency Service, Bankruptcy restrictions orders and undertakings, and Debt relief restrictions orders and undertakings.
6. GOV.UK, "Becoming bankrupt", checked 30 October 2026.

This page provides general information, not advice about your circumstances.