Written ByRobert Moore
Marketing Manager
Rob has over a decade of experience in web and general marketing. He has extensive knowledge of the Insolvency sector and has helped many worried directors with their questions.
Rob is now working with the Board at KSA Group Ltd to develop strategic marketing programmes to support the business plan and drive more company rescues.
After seasonal adjustment, 1,971 companies became insolvent in January 2025, up 6% from December 2024 and 11% from January 2024. After three years, the average absolute change between consecutive months has been 12%.
After declining in the early 2000s, company insolvencies soared during the 2008-09 crisis. Government support measures during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020 and 2021 reduced monthly volumes to their lowest ever. Creditor Voluntary Liquidations (CVL) numbers rose above pre-pandemic levels in 2022, although compulsory liquidations and administrations remained low. CVLs reached a record high and compulsory liquidations matched 2015-19 levels in 2023, bringing insolvency numbers to a 30-year high. The 2024 total was slightly lower than 2023 because CVLs decreased more than other insolvency categories.
Figure 2: Company insolvencies during the second half of 2022 have reached 2008-09 recession levels.
English and Welsh monthly firm insolvencies by type, January 2000–January 2025, seasonally adjusted.
CVLs represented 78% of company insolvencies in January 2025. CVLs rose 9% from December 2024 and 14% from January 2024 after seasonal adjustment.
The seasonally adjusted number of compulsory liquidations in January 2025 was 5% fewer than in December and January 2024.
January 2025 saw 10% more administrations than December 2024 and 9% more than January 2024 following seasonal adjustment.
The number of CVAs decreased by 13% in January 2025 compared to January 2024 and 18% from December 2024. Numbers remain low compared to historical levels.
There were 9% more CVAs in 2024 than in 2023 and approximately 80% more than in 2022, which had the lowest yearly total since 1993. Despite this increase, 2024’s number was just under 60% of the 2015–2019 average.
Monthly Insolvency Statistics: December 2024
Monthly Insolvency Statistics: December 2024Monthly Insolvency Statistics: November 2024
Monthly Insolvency Statistics: November 2024Government Research Into Creditors Voluntary Liquidations Highlights Virtually Nil Return to Creditors
Government Research Into Creditors Voluntary Liquidations Highlights Virtually Nil Return to Creditors