July 2026 Corporate Insolvency Statistics: Long-term Progress

While July’s company insolvency statistics might initially seem like bad news, there’s actually still plenty to be optimistic about looking forward.

July clocked 1,931 insolvencies across England and Wales, marking a 5% increase from the month prior (June recorded 1,845). However, looking at the bigger picture, this figure is still 5% lower than the same month’s number last year (2,031).

This means that out of the seven months already passed in 2026, five have recorded fewer insolvencies than their 2025 counterpart.

What July’s figures were made up of

July’s 1,931 insolvencies were comprised of 1,497 creditors’ voluntary liquidations, 288 compulsory liquidations, 124 administrations, and 22 company voluntary arrangements. Unfortunately, each of these figures were higher than June 2026’s, apart from administrations. This is no doubt down to June’s administration of around 60 real estate companies all connected to one another.

What happened elsewhere?

Scotland also posted a lower number of company insolvencies than July 2025. The 83 recorded in July 2026 is 28% lower than the same time last year. Comparing between the same months in Northern Ireland, meanwhile, saw a 14% rise as they registered 16 company insolvencies last month.

Construction still the riskiest sector

No change in the three riskiest industries in the UK. Construction, retail and hospitality still lead the pack by some distance.

Promisingly however, each of these have seen fewer insolvencies in the last 12 months (Aug 25 to Jul 26) than the 12 months prior to that (Aug 24 – Jul 25).

The only sectors that have seen increasing numbers of insolvencies over the same time frame have been real estate and health/social care.

“Slow progress”

Insolvency Advisor at Forbes Burton, Paul Turner, suggests that it’s worth looking beyond the slight increase from June’s figures to focus on the decrease from last year instead.

“There’s some real long-term progress happening quietly at the moment. Nothing to shout from the rooftops about, but it’s heartening to see the rate of company insolvencies slow and now decrease year-on-year.

“Unfortunately, we’re still seeing the occasional rise month-on-month, so it’s hardly a dramatic change, but slow progress is better than no progress.”

Is your business finding its bills trickier to pay?

While figures might be slowly dropping, insolvency numbers are still high. Closure remains a very real threat for many SMEs, making it advisable for business owners to take action as soon as issues start to occur. If you’ve started to notice that bills are more difficult to pay, cash flow reserves are becoming stretched, or that takings are down, make sure you give one of our friendly specialists a ring.

With a range of solutions aimed at making life easier for business owners, Forbes Burton can help you to successfully navigate your current difficulties. Get in touch for a free consultation today to see how we can help. Call us on 0808 280 6041, or email advice@forbesburton.com for your free consultation with no obligation.