UK Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation (CVL) Statistics
In May 2026 there were 1,423 CVLs in England and Wales, 76% of all company insolvencies. A creditors’ voluntary liquidation (CVL) is an insolvent liquidation that a company’s own directors and shareholders begin, rather than one ordered by a court. It is the most common way an insolvent UK company is wound up. This page tracks the monthly trend back to 2000, the rate per 10,000 companies and how the procedure sits within the wider insolvency total.
Accredited official statistics
Trend
Monthly UK CVLs since 2000
CVLs are the largest single insolvency procedure, so the monthly trend closely tracks the overall insolvency total. Volumes climbed sharply as pandemic support unwound and have stayed high since.
How to read this
What the cvl figures show
CVLs move with the broader economy: when more companies stop trading, more directors place them into liquidation.
The count is a volume, not a failure rate. The rate per 10,000 companies adjusts for the size of the active register, which has grown over time.
CVLs are the largest component of the UK company insolvency statistics. For the court-ordered route see compulsory liquidation statistics, and for the industry split see insolvency statistics by sector.
Recent months
UK CVLs over the last 12 months
| Month | CVL | All insolvencies | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 1,423 | 1,868 | 76% |
| Apr 2026 | 1,504 | 2,087 | 72% |
| Mar 2026 | 1,468 | 2,028 | 72% |
| Feb 2026 | 1,478 | 1,899 | 78% |
| Jan 2026 | 1,332 | 1,761 | 76% |
| Dec 2025 | 1,321 | 1,689 | 78% |
| Nov 2025 | 1,438 | 1,854 | 78% |
| Oct 2025 | 1,557 | 2,011 | 77% |
| Sep 2025 | 1,548 | 1,967 | 79% |
| Aug 2025 | 1,578 | 2,017 | 78% |
| Jul 2025 | 1,568 | 2,053 | 76% |
| Jun 2025 | 1,573 | 2,025 | 78% |
| May 2025 | 1,730 | 2,231 | 78% |
Seasonally adjusted, England and Wales. Source: Insolvency Service / Companies House.
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.
- Supporting source
- Companies House company register data.
- Publication date
- 19 June 2026
- Next scheduled release
- 17 July 2026
- Status
- Accredited official statistics
How to cite this page
CompanyDebt. (2026). UK CVL Statistics. CompanyDebt.com. Data sourced from the Insolvency Service and Companies House company insolvency statistics.
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