UK Company Insolvencies by Sector
Across the 12 months to May 2026, construction recorded the most company insolvencies of any industry, with 3,803 cases (17% of those with a known sector). This page ranks all 21 industry sections and tracks how each has changed since 2016. Industry figures are not failure rates: larger sectors hold more companies, so they tend to record more insolvencies.
Accredited official statistics
Ranking
UK company insolvencies by industry, latest 12 months
Company insolvencies by SIC industry section over the 12 months to May 2026, highest to lowest. Cases with no recorded sector are excluded.
Trend
How sector insolvencies have changed since 2016
Annual company insolvencies for the ten largest sectors, England and Wales. The 2020 dip reflects pandemic support; the climb since tracks its withdrawal and the return of creditor enforcement. Construction leads every year, covered in full in the construction insolvency statistics; headline totals are in the UK company insolvency statistics and the procedure split in CVL statistics.
| Sector | 2016 | 2020 | 2025 | 2016 to 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 2,557 | 2,061 | 3,949 | +54% |
| Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 2,046 | 1,687 | 3,736 | +83% |
| Accommodation and food service activities | 1,530 | 1,715 | 3,360 | +120% |
| Administrative and support service activities | 1,714 | 1,441 | 2,455 | +43% |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 1,203 | 1,007 | 2,004 | +67% |
| Manufacturing | 1,347 | 1,170 | 1,943 | +44% |
| Information and communication | 886 | 690 | 1,465 | +65% |
| Other service activities | 552 | 604 | 1,059 | +92% |
| Real estate activities | 380 | 367 | 773 | +103% |
| Transportation and storage | 346 | 436 | 752 | +117% |
Not seasonally adjusted, England and Wales. Industry data is published quarterly. Source: Insolvency Service (Table 1c).
Method
UK company insolvency statistics: methodology
Company insolvency data is sourced mainly from Companies House. Compulsory liquidation data for England and Wales comes from the Insolvency Service, and compulsory liquidation data for Northern Ireland comes from the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland.
The headline England and Wales figures use seasonally adjusted data where the Insolvency Service has identified seasonality. Scotland and Northern Ireland figures are shown on an unadjusted basis.
The statistics count formal company insolvency procedures. They do not include members’ voluntary liquidations, dissolutions or ordinary company closures.
Data limitations
- The latest month is provisional and can be revised.
- Detailed industry sub-sector breakdowns are published quarterly.
- Industry is based on self-reported SIC codes.
- Registered office addresses are not a reliable guide to where a company traded.
- Solvent company closures are not included.
Source
Source and citation
- Primary source
- Insolvency Service, Company Insolvency Statistics, May 2026 (Table 1c, by industry).
- Supporting source
- Companies House company register data.
- Publication date
- 19 June 2026
- Industry breakdown
- Published quarterly (January, April, July, October).
- Status
- Accredited official statistics
How to cite this page
CompanyDebt. (2026). UK Company Insolvencies by Sector. CompanyDebt.com. Data sourced from the Insolvency Service company insolvency statistics by industry (Table 1c).
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