Northern Ireland was the only part of the UK where the company insolvency rate rose over the past year, according to Insolvency Service figures for September 2026 published on 20 October 2026. In the 12 months to 30 September, 42.6 in every 10,000 companies on the Northern Ireland register entered insolvency, up from 37.3 a year earlier.
Over the same period the rate fell in England and Wales, from 52.8 to 49.9 per 10,000, and in Scotland, from 52.1 to 49.0. Northern Ireland still has the lowest rate of the three, but the gap has narrowed.
September and the past year
Northern Ireland registered 45 company insolvencies in September 2026, up from 28 in September 2025 and from 7 in August. Thirty were compulsory liquidations, 13 were creditors' voluntary liquidations, one was an administration and one a company voluntary arrangement.
Monthly numbers in Northern Ireland are small and move sharply, so the 12-month picture is more telling. Adding up the monthly table, 348 Northern Ireland companies entered insolvency in the 12 months to September 2026, compared with 310 in the previous 12 months, a rise of 12%. Over the first nine months of 2026 the total was 237, almost level with 240 in the same months of 2025.
Compulsory liquidations drive the rise
The increase sits in compulsory liquidations, which the release defines as a winding-up order obtained from the court by a creditor, shareholder or director. Our analysis shows 205 compulsory liquidations in Northern Ireland in the 12 months to September 2026, up 52% from 135. Over the same period:
- Compulsory liquidations: 205, up from 135
- Creditors' voluntary liquidations: 123, down from 128
- Administrations: 7, down from 28
- Company voluntary arrangements: 13, down from 19
Compulsory liquidations made up 59% of Northern Ireland's insolvencies over the year. By our calculation the equivalent share was 40% in Scotland and 16% in England and Wales, where creditors' voluntary liquidations, begun by a resolution of the company's own shareholders, dominate. The compulsory liquidation rate in Northern Ireland rose from 16.2 to 25.1 per 10,000 companies.
The release does not give a reason for the rise in Northern Ireland, and it does not publish an industry breakdown for Northern Ireland.
Not a record
The latest rate is not the highest in the series. It matches December 2025, sits below the 44.4 per 10,000 for the 12 months to April 2026, and is well below the 58.5 per 10,000 for calendar year 2019.
Northern Ireland figures are not seasonally adjusted. Compulsory liquidation data comes from the Department for the Economy and other procedures from Companies House, and the Insolvency Service says the figures reflect registrations rather than the date the procedure began. All figures are provisional. The October figures are due on 17 November 2026.
Key facts
- 12-month insolvency rate in Northern Ireland: 42.6 per 10,000 companies, up from 37.3
- England and Wales: 49.9, down from 52.8; Scotland: 49.0, down from 52.1
- 45 Northern Ireland company insolvencies in September 2026, up from 28 a year earlier
- 348 in the 12 months to September, up 12%
- Compulsory liquidations up 52% to 205, now 59% of all cases
Source: Insolvency Service, Company insolvencies September 2026, published 20 October 2026 (gov.uk), Tables 6 and 7. Twelve-month totals and shares are Small Cap News calculations from the monthly tables. See also: Data & Surveys, Regions and how to send us your news.