Individual Insolvencies by Location, Age and Gender, England and Wales, 2022
Official statistics for individual insolvencies in England and Wales from 2012 to 2022, broken down by region, local authority areas, parliamentary constituencies; age; gender; and electoral ward.
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
This publication contains five sets of data tables, which are linked to on this page:
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Individual insolvencies by Location, England and Wales, 2012 to 2022 contains a time series with breakdowns of insolvency numbers and rates by country, region, county and local authority
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Individual insolvencies by Age and Gender, England and Wales, 2012 to 2022 contains a time series with breakdowns of insolvency numbers and rates by age and gender
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Individual insolvencies by Location, Age and Gender, England and Wales, 2022 contains breakdowns of insolvency numbers and rates by location, age and gender for 2022
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Individual insolvencies by Parliamentary Constituency, England and Wales, 2012 to 2022 contains a time series with breakdowns of insolvency numbers and rates by country, region and parliamentary constituency
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Individual Insolvency Statistics by Ward, England and Wales, 2012 to 2022 contains a time series with breakdowns of insolvency numbers by ward
Main Messages:
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In 2022, the rate of individual insolvency in England and Wales was 25.0 per 10,000 adults, meaning that one in every 399 adults entered an insolvency procedure during that year. The individual insolvency rate was the highest since 2019.
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At regional level, the North East of England had the highest individual insolvency rate (32.4 per 10,000 adults), while individuals in London had the lowest (16.5 per 10,000). The North East has been the region with the highest rate of insolvency every year since 2008, while London has been the region with the lowest rate each year since the series began in 2000. The other seven English regions, as well as Wales, all had rates between 22.9 and 29.4 per 10,000. All regions saw higher insolvency rates compared to the five-year average, with the exception of the South West.
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Rates varied by local authority from 9.7 per 10,000 (1 in 1,027 adults) in Westminster to 54.1 per 10,000 (1 in 185 adults) in North East Lincolnshire.
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The local authorities with the highest rates of individual insolvency were mainly in the North of England, ranging from North East Lincolnshire, to Halton, to Kingston upon Hull. Four of the five local authorities with the lowest insolvency rates were London boroughs. Outside London, the local authorities with the lowest rates were St Albans, Cambridge and Wokingham.
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There were no large changes to the geographical distribution of insolvency rates in 2022 compared to the five-year average. For the majority of local authorities, differences in rates from the five-year average ranged from 1 per 10,000 adults lower to 3 per 10,000 higher.
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Rates varied by parliamentary constituency from 6.6 per 10,000 (1 in 1,506 adults) in Cities of London and Westminster to 63.4 per 10,000 (1 in 158 adults) in Great Grimsby.
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Eight of the 10 parliamentary constituencies with the highest insolvency rates were in the North of England. Seven out of the 10 parliamentary constituencies with the lowest insolvency rates were in London.
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The female insolvency rate (27.4 per 10,000) was higher than the male rate (22.3 per 10,000) for the ninth successive year. Women had a higher rate of insolvency than men in all age groups except for those aged 65 and over.
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Women were more likely than men to have a debt relief order or individual voluntary arrangement, while men were more likely than women to become bankrupt. Historically, men were more likely to enter bankruptcy than have a debt relief order, however the reverse was true in 2021 and 2022.
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Insolvency rates were highest for adults between 25 and 44 and lowest for adults aged 65 and over. This has been the case since 2006. The long-term trend shows an increase in insolvency rates for younger adults (18 to 34 year olds) and a decrease for older adults (55 years and older).
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Individual voluntary arrangements were the most common type of insolvency in all age groups. The proportion of insolvencies that were individual voluntary arrangements was higher among younger adults, whereas the proportion that were bankruptcies and DROs was higher in older adults.
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In 2022, the first full calendar year of the Debt Respite Scheme, one in 668 adults (a rate of 15.0 per 10,000) in England and Wales entered a breathing space.
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The North West and North East were the regions with the highest breathing space registration rate in 2022, at 19.3 and 19.2 per 10,000 adults respectively, while London had the lowest, at 10.8 per 10,000. Halton was the local authority with the highest breathing space rate.
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As with insolvency, breathing space rates were highest for 25 to 44 year olds and lowest for those over 65, however the age profile was younger, with 18 to 24 year olds being slightly more likely to enter a breathing space than 55 to 64 year olds.
Updates to this page
Last updated 26 March 2024 + show all updates
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Individual insolvencies by Location, Age and Gender tables have been updated to reflect 2022 population estimates for the calculation of rates. The 2023 versions of all tables included in this release are updated in the 'Individual insolvencies by Location, Age and Gender, England and Wales, 2023' publication found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/individual-insolvencies-by-location-age-and-gender-england-and-wales-2023
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First published.