Research & Reports

Business Insolvency Statistics

Company insolvency figures, updated October 2025.

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Chapter 1

Overview

In October 2025, 2,517 businesses across the UK and Northern Ireland entered insolvency, a 22% increase from September and 14% lower than the same time last year.

Despite this slight year-on-year decline, insolvency levels remain high following a sharp surge in March and consistently elevated figures throughout the intervening months. As global trade tensions continue to disrupt supply chains, businesses are likely to encounter sustained challenges through the remainder of the year.

October at a glance:

  • Total Insolvencies: 2,517 insolvencies across the UK and Northern Ireland.
  • Month-over-Month Change: 22% increase from September
  • Year-on-Year Change: Down 14% from October 2024
  • Sector Impact: Constructionl is the most affected sector, with 419 insolvencies

If you want to re-use this data, please contact [email protected]

Chapter 1

Insolvencies by Month

Total number of insolvencies by month.

A total of 2,517 businesses across the UK and Northern Ireland entered insolvency in September 2025. This represents an 22% increase from September, but remains 14% lower than the same period in 2024.

Although the headline numbers are broadly unchanged, insolvencies remain significantly above the pre-pandemic average, highlighting the persistent financial strain facing UK firms.

Many businesses continue to grapple with relentless cost pressures, such as higher wage bills and the recent National Insurance rise, both of which are squeezing already-thin margins and leaving limited room to absorb further shocks.

To re-use this data, contact: [email protected]

Chapter 1

Insolvencies by Sector

The total number of insolvencies by sector YTD.

Construction was the UK's hardest-hit sector in October, with 419 firms entering insolvency, accounting for 16% of all business failures that month.

Additionally, sectors traditionally prone to high insolvency rates also saw notable figures. In October, the Wholesale & Retail sectors experienced 354 insolvencies, while Accommodation and Food Services faced 356 failures.

Together, these two sectors represent 28% of all insolvencies for the month, underscoring their vulnerability amidst ongoing economic pressures.

The table below provides a year-to-date (January–December 2025) breakdown of insolvencies by sector, comparing trends over the past four years (2021–2025) to highlight sector-specific shifts and challenges.

Want to explore the data for yourself?

Whether you want to understand the impact of Insolvencies across a group of sectors or the likelihood of an individual company becoming insolvent, you can find all of this data and more within the Creditsafe platform.

Chapter 1

Methodology

Creditsafe uses the following statuses to determine if a company has become insolvent and will count insolvency based on its first insolvency trigger from one of the statuses below:

  • In Liquidation.
  • Administrator Appointed.
  • Appointment of Liquidator.
  • Meeting of Creditors.
  • In Administration.
  • In Receivership.
  • Administrative Receiver Appointed.
  • Administration Order.
  • The company is wound-up.